Light Therapy Shows Promise as Game-Changing Prevention for Brain Injury in Contact Sports

False-color brain images showing the average change in inflammation from the start to the end of the season within the group receiving the placebo treatment. Red corresponds to greatest increase in inflammation. Image credit: Hannah Lindsey, PhD.

Groundbreaking University of Utah Research Suggests Medical-Grade Near-Infrared Technology Could Protect Athletes, Veterans, and First Responders From Cumulative Brain Damage

BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front)

Medical-grade near-infrared light therapy has demonstrated the ability to prevent brain inflammation in collegiate football players exposed to repetitive head impacts over a full season, according to breakthrough research published in the Journal of Neurotrauma. The technology, which uses photobiomodulation at specific wavelengths, could represent the first viable prophylactic treatment for chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and related brain injuries—a development that could fundamentally transform the safety landscape for contact sports, military operations, and emergency response work. A major Department of Defense-funded clinical trial with 300 participants begins recruitment in early 2026 to validate these findings at scale.

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SALT LAKE CITY—After decades of mounting evidence linking repetitive head impacts to devastating long-term brain damage, researchers at the University of Utah have unveiled what could be the first effective preventive treatment for chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a neurodegenerative disease that has haunted professional sports and claimed the lives of numerous athletes and military personnel.

The findings, published January 23, 2026, in the peer-reviewed Journal of Neurotrauma, show that medical-grade photobiomodulation therapy—using near-infrared light at specific wavelengths—prevented brain inflammation in collegiate football players throughout an entire competitive season, a result researchers initially found difficult to believe.

"My first reaction was, 'There's no way this can be real,'" said Dr. Hannah Lindsey, research associate in neurology at University of Utah Health and first author on the study. "That's how striking it was."

The Study: Protecting Brains During Active Competition

The research team, led by Dr. Elisabeth Wilde, professor of neurology and co-director of the Traumatic Brain Injury and Concussion Center at University of Utah, followed 26 NCAA Division I football players across a full 16-week competitive season in collaboration with Brigham Young University.

Athletes were randomly assigned to receive either active photobiomodulation treatment or placebo using identical devices. The active treatment used Vielight's Neuro Gamma device—a patented intranasal and transcranial photobiomodulation (itPBM) system that delivers pulsed near-infrared light at 810 nanometers to brain tissue.

Participants completed 20-minute sessions three times weekly under supervision in their team's athletic training facility. Advanced MRI imaging measured inflammation and microstructural changes in brain tissue before and after the season.

The results were unambiguous: Players receiving placebo treatment showed significant increases in brain inflammation over the season. But those receiving active light therapy showed no increase—and in some brain regions, inflammation markers actually decreased.

"The group receiving near-infrared light therapy appeared to be protected from inflammation throughout almost all regions of the brain," according to the University of Utah Health announcement.

Dr. Carrie Esopenko, associate professor of neurology at University of Utah Health and second author on the study, said the findings address a long-standing challenge in sports medicine.

"We've been trying to figure out how to make sports safer, so that our kids, friends, and family can participate in sports safely for the long term while they're involved in activities that give them happiness and joy," she said. "And this really feels like part of the hope for protecting the brain that we've been searching for."

How the Technology Works: Targeting Cellular Energy and Inflammation

Photobiomodulation uses red to near-infrared light delivered through specialized headsets and intranasal clips. Light at 810 nanometers can penetrate the skull and reach the outer layers of the brain, where it interacts with mitochondria—the energy-producing centers of cells.

The therapeutic mechanism operates on multiple biological pathways simultaneously:

Mitochondrial Enhancement: The light activates mitochondrial enzymes, specifically cytochrome c oxidase, increasing cellular energy (ATP) production and improving oxygen utilization. This enhanced energy supply helps brain cells maintain resilience and recover from stress.

Anti-Inflammatory Action: Photobiomodulation reduces excessive immune signaling by lowering pro-inflammatory cytokine levels and modulating microglial activity—the brain's primary immune cells. This prevents the chronic inflammation cascade that contributes to long-term neurodegeneration.

Vascular Benefits: The therapy improves cerebral blood flow, delivering more oxygen and nutrients to support tissue repair while helping balance calcium levels inside neurons, which protects nerve fibers and maintains healthy brain signaling.

Neuroprotection: Studies have demonstrated that photobiomodulation can reduce oxidative stress, promote neurogenesis (the growth of new neurons), enhance synaptogenesis (formation of new neural connections), and improve the glymphatic system's ability to clear toxic metabolic waste products from the brain.

The CTE Crisis: A Disease Without Treatment

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy has emerged as one of the most serious public health challenges in contact sports and military service. The neurodegenerative disease, characterized by abnormal accumulation of tau protein tangles in the brain, can only be definitively diagnosed after death through autopsy.

CTE symptoms include progressive cognitive decline, memory loss, behavioral changes, mood disturbances, aggression, depression, and eventually dementia. The disease has been linked to suicides among numerous former NFL players, including Junior Seau, Dave Duerson, and others.

Research from Boston University's CTE Center has found the condition in hundreds of deceased NFL players' brains. A 2017 study examining 111 deceased NFL players found CTE in 110 of them—a 99% prevalence rate among those who donated their brains to research.

Currently, no treatment exists for CTE, and diagnosis during life remains impossible, though researchers are working to develop blood biomarkers and imaging techniques that could enable earlier detection.

The disease affects not only professional athletes but also military personnel exposed to blast injuries, amateur athletes in contact sports from youth through college levels, and others experiencing repetitive head trauma, including victims of domestic violence.

The Legal and Financial Stakes

The NFL's concussion settlement—finalized in 2015 after more than 4,500 former players sued the league—has already paid out nearly $1.2 billion over seven years, far exceeding initial projections. The settlement established an uncapped fund to compensate players diagnosed with dementia, CTE, and other qualifying conditions for 65 years.

However, a Washington Post investigation published January 31, 2024, revealed significant problems with the settlement's implementation. The investigation found that the NFL has "routinely failed to deliver money and medical care to former players suffering from dementia and CTE," using stricter diagnostic criteria than standard American medical practice.

At least 14 players failed to qualify for settlement money despite being diagnosed with dementia by their personal physicians, only to have CTE confirmed via autopsy after death, according to the Post's review of more than 15,000 pages of documents.

The settlement's definition for dementia requires more impairment than the standard medical definition used in the United States. Several neurologists told the Post that if they used the settlement's definition in regular patient care, they would routinely fail to diagnose dementia in clearly impaired patients.

Beyond individual compensation, the broader costs of CTE and related brain injuries extend to healthcare systems, families, and society. Neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and related dementias—which share pathological features with CTE—are the seventh leading cause of mortality worldwide and among the diseases with the highest cost to society, with an estimated 28.4 million disability-adjusted life years.

Prophylactic Treatment: A Paradigm Shift

The University of Utah research represents a fundamental shift from reactive injury management to proactive neurological protection. Unlike previous approaches that focused on treating symptoms after they appeared or improving equipment and rules to reduce impact forces, photobiomodulation aims to strengthen the brain's resilience during ongoing exposure to head impacts.

"Fortunately, since CTE has a more concretely defined etiology and affects specific demographics, future treatments for CTE may take the form of a preventative/prophylactic medication applied to at-risk individuals during or even before participation in contact sports," noted a 2020 review in Frontiers in Neuroscience examining preclinical insights into CTE treatment.

The football player study's design—treating athletes during active competition rather than after injury—addresses a critical gap. Many head impacts in football cause no immediate symptoms but still trigger inflammatory cascades in brain tissue. Studies estimate that a single athlete can experience hundreds of head acceleration events in one season.

"While many of these short-duration collisions do not result in a diagnosed concussion, these impacts are increasingly recognized as key drivers of cumulative neuroinflammation and microstructural stress in the brain that can build silently over time and degrade athletes' neural integrity long before symptoms ever appear," according to Vielight Inc., the Canadian medical device company that developed the Neuro Gamma system used in the study.

From Skepticism to Compelling Evidence

Dr. Wilde's journey from skepticism to conviction reflects the mounting evidence from multiple studies her team has conducted over seven years.

"When we first started this project, I was extremely skeptical," Wilde said. "But we've seen consistent results across multiple of our studies, so it's starting to be quite compelling."

The team's research portfolio includes studies with:

• Firefighters in Las Vegas: A 14-participant study using the Vielight Neuro Alpha found a 35% decrease in depression symptoms and 40% decrease in PTSD or anxiety symptoms, along with improvements in cognitive function across attention, working memory, executive functioning, and processing speed.
• Former Athletes: A 43-participant study involving individuals with mild traumatic brain injury or related symptoms showed significant improvements in reaction time, grip strength, and balance after 8-10 weeks of at-home photobiomodulation treatment.
• Veterans: Ongoing research investigating brain health, cognitive performance, and psychological resilience in veterans with histories of concussions or repetitive head impacts.
• Women Experiencing Intimate Partner Violence: Research examining cognitive, psychological, and neurological outcomes associated with head trauma.
• Current Collegiate Athletes: The recently published football player study.

Athletes who participated in earlier studies reported improvements extending beyond the researchers' initial hypotheses, including better mood regulation, reduced irritability, enhanced sustained attention, and improved physical performance without changing training routines. Some professional sports teams have begun using these devices for performance enhancement and workout recovery.

Critical Limitations and Important Caveats

Despite the promising results, researchers emphasize significant limitations that require careful consideration:

Small Sample Size: With only 26 participants, the football player study had limited statistical power. Random chance led to different baseline inflammation levels between treatment and control groups, making it difficult to draw definitive conclusions.

Need for Replication: The findings require validation in larger, more diverse populations before clinical recommendations can be made.

Device Specificity: This research used medical-grade equipment engineered to deliver specific wavelengths and intensities of light. Consumer red light devices available in retail stores are not equivalent and should not be expected to produce similar results.

"It has to be certain wavelengths of red light that can actually adequately penetrate the skin and the subcutaneous tissue," explained Dr. Sandhya Datta, who has been following the research. "We're not telling people to go to a department store and get this device and it's going to make your brain all better."

Unknown Long-term Effects: While short-term safety appears excellent, long-term outcomes over years or decades remain unknown. The therapy's ability to prevent eventual CTE development—as opposed to just reducing acute inflammation—requires longitudinal follow-up studies.

Mechanism Questions: Although proposed mechanisms are scientifically plausible, the exact cellular and molecular pathways by which photobiomodulation protects brain tissue require further elucidation.

The Major DoD Clinical Trial: Next Steps

To address these limitations, researchers are launching a substantially larger and more rigorous study funded by the U.S. Department of Defense at $4,613,247 through the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) Traumatic Brain Injury and Psychological Health Research Program.

The randomized controlled trial will enroll 300 participants suffering from persistent symptoms of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), including:

• Veterans
• Active-duty service members
• First responders

The study represents a multi-arm design with participants assigned to three groups:

1. Photobiomodulation alone
2. Photobiomodulation combined with computerized cognitive rehabilitation
3. Sham photobiomodulation (placebo)

In an innovative dual approach, half the participants will receive in-person treatment in Salt Lake City with brain MRI scans documenting structural and functional changes, while the other half participate remotely from locations across the United States.

"This is a treatment delivery device that is incredibly low risk and very well tolerated," Wilde explained. "It lends itself well to being deployed in remote or austere environments."

Recruitment is expected to begin in February or March 2026. Participants will undergo initial assessments, complete a 10-week treatment program, receive immediate post-treatment evaluation, and complete a final survey three months later.

The study includes a community advisory board of 10-15 individuals with lived experience of mTBI, their advocates, and community partners to ensure the research remains grounded in real-world needs.

Traumatic Brain Injury: The Military's Signature Injury

The Department of Defense's investment in photobiomodulation research reflects the scale of traumatic brain injury among military personnel and first responders.

DoD records document 518,116 TBIs sustained by military personnel between 2000-2025, with approximately 82% classified as mild. While initial recovery from mild TBI typically occurs within 10-14 days, a substantial percentage of service members experience persistent symptoms including cognitive impairments, mood disturbances, anxiety, and depression.

Blast exposure in combat zones, repeated impacts during training, and injuries sustained in the line of duty have made TBI one of the signature injuries of recent conflicts. The invisible nature of many brain injuries—combined with the difficulty of obtaining definitive diagnoses and effective treatments—has created significant challenges for the military healthcare system.

First responders face similar risks. Firefighters, for example, endure extreme stress, traumatic events, and irregular schedules that can compound the effects of head injuries sustained during emergency responses.

Broader Applications in Neurodegenerative Disease

The research has implications extending beyond sports and military applications. Photobiomodulation is being investigated for multiple neurodegenerative conditions:

Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias: Multiple clinical studies are evaluating brain photobiomodulation in patients with Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment. A December 2025 pilot study at the University of Toronto showed improvements in cognition, mitochondrial function, and brain network connectivity in mild cognitive impairment patients.

Parkinson's Disease: Preclinical and early clinical studies suggest photobiomodulation may help preserve dopaminergic neurons and reduce motor symptoms.

Stroke Recovery: Research has demonstrated neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory, and cognitive improvement effects in both animal models and human patients with ischemic stroke.

Post-COVID Cognitive Impairment: A January 2025 randomized controlled trial showed active photobiomodulation improved composite cognitive scores in long COVID patients, with particularly significant gains in participants under 45 years old.

A comprehensive review published in the Journal for Prevention of Alzheimer's Disease in August 2025 concluded that brain photobiomodulation "reduces oxidative stress and inflammation, increases cerebral blood flow and enhance neurogenesis and synaptogenesis," making it a promising treatment approach for multiple neurodegenerative conditions.

However, the review noted that exploratory study designs and inconsistent quality currently provide only low-level evidence, which "does not support the widespread use of bPBM in clinical practice" until larger, higher-quality trials are completed.

Regulatory and Clinical Path Forward

The development of photobiomodulation as a validated treatment for brain injury prevention faces several regulatory and scientific hurdles:

FDA Approval: While photobiomodulation is FDA-approved for some applications like wound healing and pain management, approval for brain injury prevention would require substantial clinical trial data demonstrating both safety and efficacy.

Clinical Guidelines: Professional medical societies would need to develop evidence-based guidelines for appropriate patient selection, treatment protocols, dosing parameters, and monitoring.

Standardization: The field currently lacks standardized dosimetry and treatment parameters. Different studies use varying wavelengths (typically 630-1100 nanometers, with 810 nanometers most common for brain applications), power densities, pulsing frequencies, treatment durations, and schedules.

Insurance Coverage: Even with FDA approval, obtaining insurance reimbursement for prophylactic treatment in healthy athletes or service members would require demonstrating cost-effectiveness compared to managing long-term complications.

Implementation Logistics: Practical questions remain about who would administer treatments, how frequently, for how long, and how to monitor compliance and effectiveness in real-world settings outside research protocols.

Expert Perspectives and Remaining Questions

External experts view the research with cautious optimism.

Dr. Kristen Dams-O'Connor, director of the Brain Injury Research Center at Mount Sinai, told the New York Post she is "enthusiastic" about the potential implications.

"Considering the mechanism of action—inflammation, at least broadly speaking—it does make sense in theory," she said. "If this can mitigate the acute inflammatory cascade that has been documented in human and animal models of repetitive head impacts, perhaps this presents an opportunity to make sports safer."

However, significant questions remain:

Individual Variation: Why do only some people exposed to repetitive head trauma develop CTE? Would photobiomodulation benefit everyone equally, or only certain genetic or physiological profiles?

Optimal Timing: Should treatment begin before any exposure to head impacts (truly prophylactic), immediately after starting contact sports, or only after a threshold number of impacts?

Duration of Protection: If treatment stops, does protection persist, or does inflammation resume? Would athletes need to continue treatment indefinitely?

Dose-Response Relationships: What are the minimum effective treatment frequencies and durations? Can more treatment provide better protection, or is there a ceiling effect?

Combination Approaches: Should photobiomodulation be combined with other protective strategies, such as improved equipment, rule changes, cognitive training, or pharmaceutical interventions?

Implications for Contact Sports

If validated in larger trials, photobiomodulation could transform the risk-benefit calculus for contact sports at all levels.

Professional sports organizations, already facing billions of dollars in litigation and settlement costs, might view the technology as a risk mitigation tool that could reduce long-term liability while allowing the game to continue largely unchanged.

College athletic programs could incorporate the therapy into training regimens, particularly for football, ice hockey, and other high-impact sports.

Youth sports organizations face more complex considerations, as developing brains may be more vulnerable to injury but also potentially more responsive to protective interventions. Parents' willingness to allow children to participate in contact sports could increase if effective protective measures become available.

However, some researchers and advocates have raised concerns that such technologies could be used to justify maintaining dangerous aspects of sports rather than implementing more fundamental safety reforms.

Research Integrity and Conflicts of Interest

The research was conducted by academic institutions (University of Utah and Brigham Young University) with funding from the Department of Defense. The device manufacturer, Vielight Inc., provided equipment but the study was investigator-led.

This arrangement represents a common model in medical device research, where companies provide equipment for academic researchers to evaluate independently. However, it creates potential conflicts of interest that warrant transparency.

The January 2026 press release from Vielight noted: "This press release contains statements related to exploratory research, and is based on current expectations and involve risks and uncertainties. The findings described are preliminary in nature and require further research with adequately powered studies."

Independent replication by researchers without industry connections would strengthen confidence in the findings.

The Path Forward

"If successful, this research could establish one of the first drug-free interventions proven to reduce persistent symptoms and restore brain health in adults with mTBI," according to University of Utah Health. "Perhaps most significantly, the treatment has few known side effects."

The technology's noninvasive nature, apparent safety profile, and relatively low cost (compared to long-term care for neurodegenerative disease) position it as an attractive candidate for widespread adoption—assuming the larger clinical trials confirm efficacy.

For the estimated millions of people worldwide who participate in contact sports, serve in military roles involving head injury risks, or work in high-risk professions like firefighting and emergency response, photobiomodulation could offer the first realistic hope of preventing the devastating consequences of cumulative brain trauma.

As recruitment begins for the Department of Defense trial in early 2026, the medical and sports communities will be watching closely to see whether this unconventional therapy can deliver on its remarkable promise.

The research represents not just a potential medical breakthrough, but a paradigm shift in how society approaches brain injury—moving from damage control to genuine prevention.

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VERIFIED SOURCES AND FORMAL CITATIONS

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Article compiled January 2026. Information current as of publication date.