Near-infrared light during sleep to boost brain blood flow and slow Alzheimer's
Sleep-dependent mechanisms of improving cerebral blood flow and reducing Alzheimer's disease progression by photobiomodulation with near-infrared light
Seeing if gentle near-infrared light given during deep sleep can improve brain blood flow and slow Alzheimer's progression.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Boston VA Research Institute, INC. NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11298942 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would receive gentle near-infrared light delivered during deep (NREM) sleep aimed to boost blood flow and help clear waste from the Alzheimer's brain. The team plans to use longer-wavelength NIR-II light with slow, low-frequency pulses to reach deeper brain tissue and trigger blood-vessel responses. They will look for increases in nitric oxide-driven vessel dilation, improved glymphatic clearance, and reductions in amyloid and tau in translational models. The work combines laboratory Alzheimer's models with steps toward treatments that could be administered during sleep at clinical sites like the Boston VA.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with early-stage Alzheimer's disease or mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer's who can attend sleep-time treatment sessions would be the best candidates.
Not a fit: Those with advanced Alzheimer's, unstable medical conditions, photosensitivity, or implanted electronic devices may not be eligible or likely to benefit.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could improve brain blood flow, enhance clearance of toxic proteins, and slow cognitive decline in people with Alzheimer's.
How similar studies have performed: Animal studies and small human pilot work show promise for photobiomodulation but prior NIR-I approaches had limited brain penetration, so the NIR-II sleep-pulsed approach is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
Boston, United States
- Boston VA Research Institute, INC. — Boston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Gerashchenko, Dmitry — Boston VA Research Institute, INC.
- Study coordinator: Gerashchenko, Dmitry
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.