Potential Thermal Effect of Stimulating Brain Tissue during Low Level Laser Therapy
Kawthar Shurrab
(Login required)
Damascus University, Syrian Arab Republic
Paper #8945 received 30 Mar 2023; revised manuscript received 30 Jun 2023; accepted for publication 12 Jul 2023; published online 6 Nov 2023.
DOI: 10.18287/JBPE23.09.040303
Abstract
Low level laser therapy (LLLT) is a promising and noninvasive technique in treating a multitude of medical conditions by activating healing and cell regeneration. It is also used to stimulate the brain function. The aim of this study is to investigate the Potential Thermal Effect of LLLT during stimulation. LLLT is characterized by low-intensity treatment. However, what is the dose of intensity required to stimulate the brain without a possible thermal effect. To address this, a simulation model was proposed and implemented using Finite Element Analysis within the COMSOL Multiphysics software package. This approach aims to determine the optimal combination of energy density and irradiation time that would yield the most effective enhancement of cell activity in the brain. The best power density is 166 mW/cm2 (joule density 20 J/cm2) and 2 min exposure is enough to stimulate the brain when applying 808 nm with optic cap that gives a laser spot size of 3 cm2. The determination of optimal parameters is imperative in the context of brain activation. It is crucial to ensure that the tissue temperature does not exceed 0.5 °C, which is the permissible temperature limit for effective stimulation. The findings will provide valuable insights into the optimization of LLLT protocols, thereby establishing a foundation for its safe and effective application in therapeutic settings.
Keywords
Full Text:
PDFReferences
1. J. T. Hopkins, T. A. McLoda, J. G. Seegmiller, and D. G. Baxter, “Low-level laser therapy facilitates superficial wound healing in humans: a triple-blind, sham-controlled study,” Journal of Athletic Training 39(3), 223–229 (2004).
2. R. A. B. Lopes-Martins, R. Albertini, P. S. L. Martins, J. M. Bjordal, and H. C. C. F. Neto, “Spontaneous effects of low-level laser therapy (650 nm) in acute inflammatory mouse pleurisy induced by carrageenan,” Photomedicine and Laser Therapy 23(4), 377–381 (2005).
3. R. T. Chow, G. Z. Heller, and L. Barnsley, “The effect of 300 mW, 830 nm laser on chronic neck pain: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study,” Pain 124(1–2), 201–210 (2006).
4. D. Gigo-Benato, S. Geuna, A. de Castro Rodrigues, P. Tos, M. Fornaro, E. Boux, B. Battiston, and M. G. Giacobini-Robecchi, “Low power laser biostimulation enhances nerve repair after end-to-side neurorrhaphy: a double-blind randomized study in the rat median nerve model,” Lasers in Medical Science 19, 57–65 (2004).
5. Y. Y. Huang, A. C. H. Chen, J. D. Carroll, and M. R. Hamblin, “Biphasic dose response in low level light therapy,” Dose-Response 7(4), 358–383 (2009).
6. M. M. Christian, S. L. Firebaugh, and A. N. Smith, “COMSOL Thermal Model for a Heated Neural Micro-Probe,” Proceedings of the 2012 COMSOL Conference, Milan, Italy, 10–12 (2012).
7. R. W. Waynant (Ed.), “Lasers in medicine,” 1st ed., CRC Press, Boca Raton, USA (2011). ISBN: 9780429120541.
8. M. R. Hamblin, T. N. Demidova, “Mechanisms of low level light therapy,” Proceedings of SPIE 6140, 614001 (2006).
9. Y. Lampl, “Laser treatment for stroke,” Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics 7(8), 961–965 (2007).
10. Y. Lampl, J. A. Zivin, M. Fisher, R. Lew, L. Welin, B. Dahlof, P. Borenstein, B. Andersson, J. Perez, C. Caparo, S. Ilic, and U. Oron, “Infrared laser therapy for ischemic stroke: a new treatment strategy: results of the neurothera effectiveness and safety trial-1 (NEST-1),” Stroke 38(6), 1843–1849 (2007).
11. J. T. Hashmi, Y. Y. Huang, B. Z. Osmani, S. K. Sharma, M. A. Naeser, and M. R. Hamblin, “Role of low-level laser therapy in neurorehabilitation,” PM&R 2(12S), S292–S305 (2010).
12. D. W. Barrett, F. Gonzalez-Lima, “Transcranial infrared laser stimulation produces beneficial cognitive and emotional effects in humans,” Neuroscience 230, 13–23 (2013).
13. J. C. Rojas, A. K. Bruchey, and F. Gonzalez-Lima, “Low-level light therapy improves cortical metabolic capacity and memory retention,” Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease 32(3), 741–752 (2012).
14. J. C. Rojas, A. K. Bruchey, and F. Gonzalez-Lima, “Neurometabolic mechanisms for memory enhancement and neuroprotection of methylene blue,” Progress in Neurobiology 96(1), 32–45 (2012).
15. J. C. Rojas, A. K. Bruchey, and F. Gonzalez-Lima, “Neurological and psychological applications of transcranial lasers and LEDs,” Biochemical Pharmacology 86(4), 447–457 (2013).
16. H. Chung, T. Dai, S. K. Sharma, Y. Y. Huang, J. D. Carroll, and M. R. Hamblin, “The nuts and bolts of low-level laser (light) therapy,” Annals of Biomedical Engineering 40, 516–533 (2012).
17. A. C. Thompson, S. A. Wade, W. G. Brown, and P. R. Stoddart, “Modeling of Light Absorption in Tissue during Infrared Neural Stimulation,” Journal of Biomedical Optics 17(7), 075002 (2012).
18. A. Y. Vitkaya, S. S. Seker, “Study of Temperature Distribution in Light-Tissue Interaction Using the FEM,” Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences 24(3), 807–819 (2016).
19. S. Kim, S. Jeong, “Effects of temperature-dependent optical properties on the fluence rate and temperature of biological tissue during low-level laser therapy,” Lasers in Medical Science 29, 637–644 (2014).
20. R. Ostadhossein, S. Hoseinzadeh, “The solution of Pennes’ bio heat equation with a convection term and nonlinear specifc heat capacity using Adomian decomposition,” Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry 147(22), 12739–12747 (2022).
21. F. Fanjul-Velez, O. G. Romanov, and J. L. Arce-Diego, “Efficient 3D numerical Approach for Temperature Prediction in Laser Irradiated Biological Tissues,” Computers in Biology and Medicine 39(9), 810–817 (2009).
22. R. Zhou, H. Chen, and Z. Mou, “FEM Model of the Temperature Distribution in the Brain during Enhanced Infrared Neural Stimulation Using Nanoparticles,” Journal of Applied Mathematics and Physics 7(2), 381–393 (2019).
23. E. Kengne, A. Lakhssassi, R. Vaillancourt, and W. M. Liu, “Monitoring of temperature distribution in living biological tissues via blood perfusion,” The European Physical Journal Plus 127, 89 (2012).
24. P. Hooshiar, A. Moradi, and B. Khezry, “Bioheat transfer analysis of biological tissues induced by laser irradiation,” International Journal of Thermal Sciences 90, 214–223 (2015).
25. A. Ishimaru, “Wave propagation and scattering in random media,” Academic Press (1978). ISBN: 978-0-12-374701-3.
26. M. S. Wrobel, A. P. Popov, A. V. Bykov, M. Kinnunen, M. Jedrzejewska-Szczerska, and V. V. Tuchin, “Multi-layered tissue head phantoms for noninvasive optical diag-onistics,” Journal of Innovative Optical Health Sciences 8(3), 1541005 (2015).
27. K. Uma Maheswaria, S. Sathiyamoorthy, “Soft tissue optical property extraction for carcinoma cell detection indiffuse optical tomography system under boundary element condition,” Optik 127(3), 1281–1290 (2016).
28. G. H. Lu, T. Maekawa, and H. Kimura, “An Integrated Model of Thermodynamic-Hemodynamic-Pharmacokinetic System and Its Application on Decoupling Control of Intracranial Temperature and Pressure in Brain Hypothermia Treatment,” Journal of Theoretical Biology 242(1), 16–31 (2006).
29. D. A. Nelon, S. A. Nunneley, “Brain Temperature and Limits on Transcranial Cooling in Humans Quantitative Modeling Results,” European Journal of Applied Physiology and Occupational Physiology 78, 353–359 (1998).
30. A. Datta, V. Bansal, J. Diaz, J. Patel, D. Reato, and M. Bikson, “Gyri-precise head model of transcranial directcurrent stimulation: Improved spatial focality using a ring electrode versus conventional rectangular pad,” Brain Stimulation 2(4), 201–207 (2009).
31. F. A. Duck, “Physical Properties of Tissues: A Comprehensive Reference Book,” Academic Press (1990). ISBN: 9780122228001.
32. D. A. Torvi, J. D. Dale, “A Finite Element Model of Skin Subjected to a Flash Fire,” Journal of Biomechanical Engineering 116(3), 250–255 (1994).
33. P. Sawosz, S. Wojtkiewicz, M. Kacprzak, W. Weigl, and A. Borowska-Solonynko, “Human skull translucency: post mortem studies,” Biomedical Optics Express 7(12), 5010–5020 (2016).
34. M. Bhattacharya, A. Dutta, “Computational Modeling of the Photon Transport, Tissue Heating, and Cytochrome C Oxidase Absorption during Transcranial Near-Infrared Stimulation,” Brain Sciences 9(8), 179 (2019).
35. J. L. Sandell, T. C. Zhu, “A Review of in-vivo optical properties of human tissues and its impact on PDT,” Journal of Biophotonics 4(11–12), 773–787 (2011).
36. G. H. Lu, T. Maekawa, and H. Kimura, “An Integrated Model of Thermodynamic-Hemodynamic-Pharmacokinetic System and Its Application on Decoupling Control of Intracranial Temperature and pressure in Brain Hypothermia Treatment,” Journal of Theoretical Biology 242(1), 16–31 (2006).
Сontact
34 Moskovskoe shosse, Samara, 443086, Russian Federation
Email: j-bpe@ssau.ru
Phone: +7-846-267-4550
© 2014-2025 J-BPE