Light Therapy in Parkinson's Disease: Towards Mechanism-Based Protocols

Karim Fifel; Aleksandar Videnovic

doi:10.1016/j.tins.2018.03.002

Light Therapy in Parkinson's Disease: Towards Mechanism-Based Protocols

Trends Neurosci. 2018 May;41(5):252-254. doi: 10.1016/j.tins.2018.03.002. Epub 2018 Mar 24.

Authors

Karim Fifel¹, Aleksandar Videnovic²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Neurophysiology Unit, Leiden University Medical Center, P.O. Box 9600, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands; International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine (WPI-IIIS), University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8575, Japan. Electronic address: [email protected].
² Movement Disorders Unit and Division of Sleep Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 165 Cambridge Street, Suite 600, Boston, MA 02446, USA.

Abstract

A growing body of work is investigating the safety and efficacy of light in Parkinson's disease (PD). Here we discuss the potential of this emerging therapy to improve both motor and non-motor symptoms of PD. We also highlight directions for future basic, translational, and clinical research that are critical for the development of mechanism-based protocols of light therapy in PD.

Keywords: bright light; chronotherapy; non-motor symptoms.

Publication types

Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review

MeSH terms

Animals
Clinical Protocols
Humans
Parkinson Disease / physiopathology
Parkinson Disease / therapy*
Phototherapy* / methods

Grants and funding

R01 NS099055/NS/NINDS NIH HHS/United States