Seven years ago there were no studies that evaluated photobiomodulation as a treatment for Parkinsons. Since then the research has exploded.

Selected below are listings of 2025 research on photobiomodulation for Parkinsons. All five studies conclude it is a viable in home, non invasive therapy that offers the opportunity of symptom relief.

The positive experiences of persons in my audience who use photobiomodulation combined with the research evidence leads me to recommend photobiomodulation as a natural, safe therapy for Parkinsons.

The gold standard company that has invented photobiomodulation devices used by persons in my audience with Parkinsons is Vielight.com. They now have published 25 studies using their devices. Several published and onging studies evaluate the positive effect of photobiomodulation on subjects with Parkinsons and Alzheimers.

The device used in the Vielight.com Parkinsons studies is the Neuro Gamma which is available at a 10% discount when using the coupon code healing4me.
The company offers an 80% refund when any device is returned after six months of use. Ninety percent of Parkinson’s users in my audience have kept their device.

The risk associated with the Vielight option is minimal when contrasted with the expected benefits.

Photobiomodulation Parkinsons Studies

Lasers Med Sci. 2025 Oct 20;40(1):441. Posture stability and functional activity changes after transcranial photobiomodulation for patients with Parkinson’s disease: A randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is an incapacitating progressive neurological disorder that exerts a significant effect on quality of life. There is no cure, so current treatments aim to decrease symptoms due to central nervous system dopamine deficiency.

Purpose: The study was to monitor how transcranial photobiomodulation (tPBM) improved patients with Parkinson’s disease.

Methods: A randomized controlled trial study, where thirty-eight patients of both genders, aged 50-70 years, suffering from postural instability and limited functional activity level due to PD, were randomly assigned to two groups: group A of the experimental group was treated with transcranial photobiomodulation (tPBM), and group B of the control group was provided with standard treatment. All the assessments were conducted before and after the 12-week treatment schedule.

Results: Statistically significant differences in limit of stability and functional level of the experimental group were observed in favor after 3 months of training (P < 0.05).

Conclusion: tPBM might be effective in improving posture stability and functional activity level of Parkinson’s disease patients

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J Clin Med. 2025 Oct 22;14(21):7463. Effectiveness of Photobiomodulation to Treat Motor and Non-Motor Symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease: A Randomized Clinical Trial with Extended Treatment

Abstract

Background/Objective: Few treatment options improve symptoms and the quality of life of Parkinson’s disease (PD); more treatment choices are needed. This study examined the effectiveness of photobiomodulation therapy (PBMt) combined with exercise to improve PD symptoms and quality of life. 

Methods: Participants were randomised into Active (n = 32) or Sham (n = 31) PBMt groups. Stage 1 was an 8-week double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial using either active or sham PBMt to the head, back of the neck and abdomen three times weekly at home, followed by a 4-week washout. Stage 2 was 8 weeks of active PBMt for all participants. In Stage 3, participants chose to continue active PBMt treatment (‘continuers’) or receive no PBMt treatment (‘non-continuers’) for up to 48 weeks. Participants continued vigorous exercise throughout the study. Participants were assessed on enrolment and after each stage. The primary outcome measure was timed up-and-go, with a range of secondary motor and non-motor outcomes, including UPDRS. 

Results: There was no significant difference between the Active and Sham Groups after Stages 1 or 2, apart from minimal increase in MoCA score/cognition (Sham Group) in Stage 1. After Stage 3, continuers showed a significant improvement in the primary outcome measure compared to non-continuers. Anxiety and the motor experiences of daily living (MDS-UPDRS Part II) were also significantly improved, while other outcomes approached significance, including MDS-UPDRS Total score (p = 0.062). 

Conclusions: As the largest study to date, results add increasing weight to previous clinical trials and highlight potential for at-home, scalable treatment as adjunctive therapy alongside medication and exercise.

J Clin Med. 2026 Jan 4;15(1):368. Five-Year Follow-Up of Photobiomodulation in Parkinson’s Disease: A Case Series Exploring Clinical Stability and Microbiome Modulation

Abstract

Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) involves neurodegeneration with clinical or subclinical disturbance of the gut-brain axis, including altered gastrointestinal motility and enteric nervous system involvement. Clinical studies have reported gut microbiome alterations in PD, with shifts in taxa associated with inflammatory signalling and short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) metabolism.

Photobiomodulation (PBM), a non-invasive light therapy, has been investigated as a potential adjunctive treatment for PD, with proposed effects on neural, metabolic, and immune pathways. We previously reported the five-year clinical outcomes in a PBM-treated Parkinson’s disease case series. Here we report the five-year gut microbiome outcomes based on longitudinal samples collected from the same participants. This was an exploratory, open-label longitudinal study without a control group. 

Objective: Our objective was to assess whether long-term PBM was associated with changes in gut microbiome diversity and composition in the same Parkinson’s disease cohort as previously assessed for changes in Parkinson’s symptoms. 

Methods: Six participants from the earlier PBM proof-of-concept study who had been diagnosed with idiopathic PD and who had continued treatment (transcranial light emitting diode [LED] plus abdominal and neck laser) for five years had their fecal samples analyzed by 16S rDNA sequencing to assess microbiome diversity and taxonomic composition. 

Results: Microbiome analysis revealed significantly reduced evenness and significant shifts in diversity over five years, as assessed by Permutational Multivariate Analysis of Variance (PERMANOVA). At the phylum level, Pseudomonadota and Methanobacteriota decreased in four of the six participants. Both of these phyla are often increased in the Parkinson’s microbiome compared with the microbiomes of healthy controls. Family-level changes included increased acetate-producing Bifidobacteriaceae (five of the six participants); decreased pro-inflammatory, lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-producing Enterobacteriaceae (two of the three participants who have this bacterial family present); and decreased LPS- and H2S-producing Desulfovibrionaceae (five of six). At the genus level, Faecalibacterium, a key butyrate producer, increased in four of the six participants, potentially leading to more SCFA availability, although other SCFA-producing bacteria were decreased. This was accompanied by reductions in pro-inflammatory LPS and H2S-producing genera that are often increased in the Parkinson’s microbiome. 

Conclusions: This five-year case series represents the longest follow-up of microbiome changes in Parkinson’s disease. The parallel changes in improvements in mobility and non-motor Parkinson’s symptoms observed in this cohort raises the hypothesis that photobiomodulation may interact with the gut-brain axis via the microbiome.

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Geroscience. 2025 Jun;47(3):2777-2789. Light buckets and laser beams: mechanisms and applications of photobiomodulation (PBM) therapy

Abstract

Photobiomodulation (PBM) therapy, a non-thermal light therapy using nonionizing light sources, has shown therapeutic potential across diverse biological processes, including aging and age-associated diseases.

In 2023, scientists from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) Intramural and Extramural programs convened a workshop on the topic of PBM to discuss various proposed mechanisms of PBM action, including the stimulation of mitochondrial cytochrome C oxidase, modulation of cell membrane transporters and receptors, and the activation of transforming growth factor-?1. They also reviewed potential therapeutic applications of PBM across a range of conditions, including cardiovascular disease, retinal disease, Parkinson’s disease, and cognitive impairment.

Workshop participants largely agreed that PBM holds immense potential as a safe and effective therapeutic approach for a wide range of age-related diseases and cognitive decline. The findings presented at the NIA workshop provide strong evidence for the continued investigation and clinical translation of this promising, inexpensive, safe technology, to aging and age-associated diseases.

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Photodiagnosis Photodyn Ther. 2025 Oct:55:104712. The role of photobiomodulation in modulating neural activity and brain function: A systematic bibliometric analysis

Abstract

This systematic bibliometric analysis evaluates the scientific evidence, impact, and trends of photobiomodulation (PBM) for central nervous system (CNS) disorders. Analyzing 150 relevant PubMed-indexed studies (including 46 clinical trials) up to September 2024, we demonstrate PBM’s positive effects on the CNS. Key mechanisms include enhanced ATP synthesis, modulated nitric oxide signaling, improved neuronal excitability, suppressed oxidative stress, anti-inflammatory effects, and ion channel modulation. PBM offers therapeutic flexibility: shorter-wavelength, high-irradiance power lasers effectively target deep brain structures, while both modalities suit superficial cortical applications where fine spatial control is nonessential.

Crucially, PBM induces long-lasting biological effects, highlighting significant potential for chronic CNS conditions like Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and stroke.

Robert Rodgers PhD
Founder 2004
Parkinsons Recovery ®
https://www.parkinsonsrecovery.com