Photobiomodulation Therapy: A Novel Therapeutic Approach to Alzheimer's Disease Made Possible by the Evidence of a Brain–Gut Interconnection

Abstract

The evidence of brain–gut interconnections in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) opens novel avenues for the treatment of a pathology for which no definitive treatment exists. Gut microbiota and bacterial translocation may produce peripheral inflammation and immune modulation, contributing to brain amyloidosis, neurodegeneration, and cognitive deficits in AD. The gut microbiota can be used as a potential therapeutic target in AD. In particular, photobiomodulation (PBM) can affect the interaction between the microbiota and the immune system, providing a potential explanation for its restorative properties in AD-associated dysbiosis. PBM is a safe, non-invasive, non-ionizing, and non-thermal therapy that uses red or near-infrared light to stimulate the cytochrome c oxidase (CCO, complex IV), the terminal enzyme of the mitochondrial electron transport chain, resulting in adenosine triphosphate synthesis. The association of the direct application of PBM to the head with an abscopal and a systemic treatment through simultaneous application to the abdomen provides an innovative therapeutic approach to AD by targeting various components of this highly complex pathology. As a hypothesis, PBM might have a significant role in the therapeutic options available for the treatment of AD.