Vielight for Concussion, TBI and Cognitive Function: What Does the Research Show?

Can near-infrared light actually help the brain recover after a concussion?

It sounds like a simple question, but the science behind it is surprisingly interesting.

Researchers have been studying photobiomodulation (PBM)—the use of red or near-infrared light to influence cellular function—for traumatic brain injury, concussion and cognitive dysfunction for more than a decade.

More recently, Vielight devices have been used in human studies examining cognition, reaction time, balance, brain connectivity, cerebral blood flow and MRI markers associated with neuroinflammation following repetitive head impacts.

The findings are promising. But this is still an emerging field, and it is important to distinguish between what has been demonstrated in humans and what remains theoretical or supported primarily by laboratory research.

Why Would Light Therapy Be Relevant to Concussion?

To understand the interest in photobiomodulation, it helps to understand what happens to brain cells after a concussion.

A concussion creates more than a mechanical injury. It can initiate a complex metabolic cascade involving changes in ion balance, increased energy demand, altered calcium handling, oxidative stress and changes in mitochondrial function.

The brain suddenly needs significant amounts of energy at a time when its ability to efficiently produce and utilize that energy may be impaired. This is sometimes referred to as the post-concussion energy crisis.

That makes mitochondria particularly interesting.

Photobiomodulation and Mitochondria

Mitochondria produce most of the ATP our cells use for energy. One of the leading proposed mechanisms of photobiomodulation involves cytochrome c oxidase, an enzyme within the mitochondrial electron transport chain.

Near-infrared light appears capable of influencing mitochondrial activity and downstream cellular signaling. PBM has been studied for possible effects involving:

• •ATP production and cellular energy metabolism
• •Nitric oxide signaling and blood flow
• •Oxidative stress
• •Inflammatory signaling
• •Cellular repair mechanisms
• •Neuroplasticity

These mechanisms overlap with several biological processes disrupted after traumatic brain injury. This doesn't prove that photobiomodulation “heals a concussion.” It provides a scientifically plausible reason to study it.

What Does the Human Research Show?

Early research in humans was dominated by case reports and small uncontrolled studies. That is changing.

There are now human studies examining not only symptoms and cognitive testing, but also functional MRI, cerebral perfusion, brain connectivity and advanced diffusion MRI.

An Early Concussion Case: What Changed in the Brain?

One of the first Vielight-specific concussion reports was a 2020 concussion neuroimaging case report involving a 23-year-old professional hockey player with a history of multiple concussions. He was experiencing headaches, difficulty concentrating and mild anxiety.

He used Vielight Neuro Alpha and Gamma devices at home for eight weeks. The devices delivered 810-nm near-infrared light through both transcranial and intranasal stimulation.

After treatment, researchers reported improvements in neuropsychological testing along with measurable changes in cerebral perfusion, functional brain connectivity and brain-volume measures. His headaches also improved.

The imaging component made the case particularly interesting because the investigators were looking beyond whether the patient simply reported feeling better. However, this was one person. A case report can generate an important hypothesis, but it cannot establish that the intervention caused the improvements or predict how another person will respond.

What About Larger Studies?

Researchers at the University of Utah's Traumatic Brain Injury and Concussion Center have subsequently studied intranasal-plus-transcranial photobiomodulation in people with histories of repetitive head acceleration events, such as those experienced through years of contact sports.

One study followed 43 participants using at-home intranasal-plus-transcranial PBM for approximately eight weeks. Researchers reported group-average improvements in several measures of neuromuscular function, including reaction time, grip strength and balance.

This was particularly interesting because concussion and repetitive head trauma can affect much more than memory and concentration. Brain function ultimately influences how quickly and accurately we interact with the physical world.

What About Memory, Attention and Cognitive Function?

A 2025 University of Utah proof-of-concept study examined 44 individuals with histories of repetitive head acceleration events. Participants used 810-nm transcranial plus intranasal photobiomodulation every other day for approximately eight to ten weeks.

Researchers administered an extensive battery of cognitive tests before and after the intervention. At the group level, statistically significant improvements were reported in fluid cognition, verbal learning, delayed memory, sustained attention, working memory, inhibitory control and cognitive switching.

This is relevant because people with persistent post-concussion symptoms frequently describe problems with attention, memory, processing information and mental endurance.

But there is an important nuance. When researchers looked at participants individually rather than simply averaging the entire group, the percentage showing reliable improvement varied substantially by cognitive test—from 0% to 36%. The largest individual changes tended to occur in measures of attention and memory.

This study was a proof-of-concept study without a sham control, so practice effects and other factors cannot be completely excluded. The results are encouraging, but they are not definitive.

A Randomized Controlled Trial in People With Mild TBI

Another important step came from a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial published in the Journal of Neurotrauma in 2025. Seventeen people with mild traumatic brain injury received both real and sham transcranial photobiomodulation in a counterbalanced crossover design.

Following active PBM, researchers reported improvements in visual working memory, verbal learning, sleep quality, physical post-concussion symptoms, pain intensity and PTSD symptoms. Those same significant improvements were not observed following sham treatment.

This is important because sham-controlled trials provide a stronger level of evidence than case reports or uncontrolled before-and-after studies. The study was still small—only 17 participants—so larger replication studies are needed. But it represents an important progression in the quality of human PBM research for mild TBI.

Can We Actually See Changes in Brain Networks?

Researchers are also beginning to investigate whether improvements in function correspond with measurable changes in the brain. A 2025 University of Utah fMRI study examined 30 people with histories of repetitive head acceleration events before and after eight to ten weeks of at-home PBM.

The researchers focused specifically on the cerebellum. The cerebellum is commonly associated with balance and coordination, but it also communicates extensively with cerebral networks involved in cognition, attention and executive function.

After treatment, the study reported an overall decrease in between-network connectivity and an increase in within-network connectivity, particularly in salience and frontoparietal networks. The authors interpreted this pattern as suggesting greater segregation and efficiency within certain cerebellar networks.

This does not tell us everything about what PBM is doing. But it provides another important piece of the puzzle: something measurable appears to be changing in brain-network organization following treatment.

What About Neuroinflammation?

This has been one of the most intriguing questions surrounding photobiomodulation after brain injury. TBI can trigger inflammatory signaling involving microglia, astrocytes and other components of the brain's immune response. Animal studies have provided considerable evidence that PBM can influence these pathways.

For example, experimental mild-TBI research using near-infrared light has reported reduced activation of microglia and astrocytes alongside improvements in cognitive and balance performance. Until recently, however, translating those findings into humans was much more difficult.

A 2026 Study of Division I Football Players

A 2026 randomized, sham-controlled diffusion-MRI study followed 26 NCAA Division I football players across an entire 16-week season. Half used active intranasal-transcranial photobiomodulation three times per week for 20 minutes; the other half used an identical sham device.

Researchers performed advanced diffusion MRI before and after the season and examined restricted diffusion imaging (RDI) and quantitative anisotropy (QA). These are MRI measures the authors used as markers associated with neuroinflammation and axonal remodeling.

The sham group demonstrated widespread increases in RDI and QA over the course of the football season. The active PBM group showed relative stability, with decreases in some regions. The authors interpreted these findings as preliminary evidence that PBM may help mitigate neurological changes associated with repetitive head impacts.

This is potentially important because the question is no longer simply, “Can PBM help someone after they already have symptoms?” Researchers are beginning to ask, “Could PBM influence the brain's response to repetitive head impacts as they are occurring?”

Why 40-Hz Gamma?

Several of the Vielight TBI studies have used the Neuro Gamma, which delivers 810-nm near-infrared light pulsed at 40 Hz. Forty hertz lies within the gamma frequency range of brain oscillations.

Gamma activity is involved in processes such as attention, memory and communication between distributed neural networks. Research with Vielight in healthy adults has demonstrated that 40-Hz transcranial-intranasal PBM can alter neural oscillations and functional connectivity.

However, we should be careful about the interpretation. It does not mean that 40-Hz light simply “turns on gamma waves.” The brain operates through multiple interacting frequencies, and 40-Hz PBM appears capable of influencing activity across broader neural networks.

Does This Mean Gamma Is Better Than Alpha for Concussion?

We don't know. Much of the recent Vielight TBI research has used Gamma, so we currently have more condition-specific data for that protocol. That is not the same thing as demonstrating that Gamma is superior to Alpha.

The early hockey concussion case actually used both Alpha and Gamma during different phases of treatment. We still don't have enough research to determine whether particular concussion presentations respond better to 10 Hz, 40 Hz, other frequencies, or different combinations of stimulation.

What Do We Still Need to Learn?

Despite encouraging findings, important questions remain. We still don't know the optimal wavelength, pulse frequency, light dose, treatment frequency, duration, timing after injury, brain regions to target, combination of transcranial and intranasal stimulation, or patient characteristics associated with a better response.

We also need larger randomized controlled trials conducted by multiple independent research groups. That last point matters. Some Vielight studies have involved company-affiliated investigators or consultants, while others have been conducted by independent university researchers using Vielight devices. Potential conflicts of interest should always be considered when interpreting an emerging research field.

What Does the Larger Research Literature Say?

Systematic reviews have generally described the cognitive findings as promising but preliminary. A 2024 review of human TBI studies emphasized the limited number of accessible human studies and substantial differences in devices, protocols, and outcome measures, which make direct comparisons difficult.

Where Does the Research Go From Here?

The next generation of research is already moving toward larger clinical trials. Researchers are increasingly examining not just whether symptoms improve, but whether PBM changes measurable aspects of brain connectivity, cognitive performance, cerebral blood flow, white-matter microstructure, neuroinflammatory processes, motor function and balance.

That is exactly the direction this field needs to go. For concussion research, subjective symptom improvement is important—but pairing those outcomes with objective neurological and neuroimaging measures gives us a much clearer picture of whether an intervention is actually influencing brain physiology.

The Bottom Line

Photobiomodulation is one of the more interesting emerging areas in concussion and traumatic brain injury research. There is a strong biological rationale involving mitochondrial function, cellular energy metabolism, blood flow, oxidative stress and inflammatory signaling.

Human studies using Vielight technology have reported improvements in areas including attention, memory, reaction time, balance and other cognitive measures, along with measurable changes in cerebral perfusion and functional brain connectivity. More recently, randomized controlled research has reported improvements in several post-concussion and cognitive outcomes, while advanced diffusion-MRI research has identified differences in brain changes associated with repetitive head impacts.

But the appropriate conclusion isn't: “Red light therapy has been proven to treat concussion.” It hasn't.

At Healing Response Acupuncture & Functional Neurology, we follow this research closely because understanding the evolving neuroscience of concussion is central to what we do.

If you'd like to learn more about how the Vielight devices themselves work—including Alpha versus Gamma, transcranial versus intranasal stimulation, and the differences between the Neuro Alpha, Gamma, Duo and Neuro Pro—read our companion Vielight Neuro FAQ.

Read the Research

For readers who want to explore the science directly, Vielight's research library currently lists seven published TBI studies and two ongoing TBI studies involving 166 participants. Those studies vary considerably in design and strength of evidence. We also encourage readers to review the original peer-reviewed publications linked throughout this article rather than relying solely on company summaries.