03/04/2026
A 2025 study published in Frontiers in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry examined the effects of transcranial photobiomodulation (tPBM) in children aged 2–7 with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In this open-label study, 22 children received pulsed near-infrared light (850 nm, 40 Hz) delivered to specific brain regions twice weekly for 8 weeks. Researchers measured changes using the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS-2) and electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings to track brain activity.
After treatment, children showed an average 7-point reduction in CARS-2 scores, which was statistically significant. EEG results also showed decreased delta brainwave activity and increased gamma activity, with gamma changes reaching statistical significance. No moderate or severe side effects were reported. However, because the study did not include a control group and had a small sample size, larger randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm these findings.
PMCID: PMC11814471 PMID: 39944746
