Cognitive Function & Photobiomodulation
Can Light Influence the Way the Brain Functions?
Every thought, memory and decision depends on billions of brain cells communicating with one another while consuming a remarkable amount of cellular energy. Photobiomodulation is being investigated for its ability to support some of the biological processes behind that activity.
Red and near-infrared wavelengths can interact with light-sensitive components within cells, influencing mitochondrial activity, cellular signaling, nitric-oxide pathways and processes associated with production of adenosine triphosphate, or ATP.
These mechanisms have led researchers to investigate photobiomodulation for memory, attention, executive function, cognitive impairment, mental fatigue and healthy brain aging.
The Emerging Science
Areas of Cognitive Function Being Studied
Clinical research has expanded considerably beyond simple laboratory experiments. Randomized trials are now investigating several different areas of human cognitive performance.
01
Global Cognitive Function
Meta-analyses of randomized trials have reported improvements in overall cognitive-function scores following photobiomodulation in several studied populations.
02
Working Memory
Working memory allows the brain to temporarily hold and use information while solving problems, making decisions and completing everyday mental tasks.
03
Attention
Photobiomodulation research has reported changes in attention and vigilance, including the ability to maintain focus during cognitive tasks.
04
Executive Function
Executive function includes planning, decision-making, mental flexibility and the ability to organize thoughts and actions toward a goal.
05
Brain Fog
Early human research has investigated both targeted and whole-body photobiomodulation for cognitive symptoms commonly described as brain fog.
06
Cognitive Aging
Researchers are studying whether supporting mitochondrial function and cellular metabolism may have value as cognitive function changes with age.
Energy for the Brain
Why Mitochondria Matter to Cognitive Function
The brain represents only a small percentage of total body weight, yet it requires an enormous and continuous supply of energy. Neurons depend on mitochondria to provide much of the ATP required for electrical signaling, communication and cellular maintenance.
Photobiomodulation research has focused heavily on mitochondria because red and near-infrared wavelengths can interact with components involved in cellular respiration.
One proposed mechanism involves cytochrome c oxidase within the mitochondrial respiratory chain. Light absorption can influence electron transport, nitric-oxide signaling and other processes associated with mitochondrial activity and ATP production.
Because healthy cognitive function depends so heavily on cellular energy, mitochondrial support has become one of the major areas of interest in brain photobiomodulation research.
Photobiomodulation can influence mitochondrial processes involved in producing the energy neurons need for normal cellular activity.
Near-infrared light can influence signaling involving nitric oxide, reactive oxygen species and other cellular messengers involved in adaptation and recovery.
Memory & Mental Processing
Red Light Therapy & Working Memory
Memory is not one single process. The brain uses different systems for storing long-term information, recalling experiences and temporarily holding information while we use it.
Working memory is especially important for everyday cognitive performance. It allows us to keep information available while performing another mental task, whether calculating a number, following directions or making a decision.
A large 2025 analysis of randomized clinical trials found significant improvement in working-memory measures among participants receiving photobiomodulation compared with control treatments.
Research into targeted brain photobiomodulation has also reported changes in memory performance in both healthy adults and populations experiencing cognitive impairment.
Working Memory
Working memory allows information to be temporarily held and manipulated while completing a mental task.
Recall
Some studies have investigated how photobiomodulation may influence the ability to learn, retain and retrieve information.
Processing
Researchers are also examining reaction time and the speed with which the brain can process and respond to information.
Healthy Aging
Memory research is particularly interesting as scientists investigate non-invasive approaches to maintaining cognitive function with age.
Focus & Mental Performance
Attention, Focus & Executive Function
Cognitive performance depends not only on remembering information but also on focusing attention, filtering distractions, making decisions and responding efficiently.
01
Attention
Clinical studies have reported improvements in certain measures of attention following photobiomodulation, including findings in healthy participants.
02
Focus
Sustained attention allows the brain to remain engaged with a task without becoming distracted or mentally disengaged.
03
Reaction Time
Some photobiomodulation studies have examined how quickly participants recognize information and respond to cognitive or visual tasks.
04
Decision-Making
Executive function helps organize information, evaluate choices and direct behavior toward a specific goal.
05
Mental Flexibility
The ability to switch between tasks, strategies and ideas is another component of executive function being investigated in cognitive research.
06
Mental Performance
Together, memory, attention and executive function contribute to the mental performance required throughout work and everyday life.
Mental Clarity
Photobiomodulation & Brain Fog
Brain fog is a general term people often use to describe difficulty concentrating, slower thinking, forgetfulness and the feeling that normal mental tasks require more effort than they should.
One particularly interesting human pilot study examined photobiomodulation in people experiencing persistent brain fog following COVID-19. Researchers compared a targeted transcranial device with a whole-body light bed using 660 and 850 nm wavelengths.
Participants receiving either form of photobiomodulation demonstrated significant improvements on several cognitive tests following 12 treatments, including measures of general cognition, processing and executive function.
The study was small and open-label, so larger controlled studies are needed. What makes it noteworthy is that cognitive improvement was observed not only with targeted transcranial treatment but also in the group receiving whole-body photobiomodulation.
Healthy Cognitive Aging
Supporting the Brain as We Age
Cognitive function naturally changes throughout life. Memory, processing speed and other mental abilities can be influenced by age-related changes in mitochondrial function, circulation, cellular metabolism and nervous-system health.
Photobiomodulation has attracted growing interest as researchers investigate non-invasive methods of supporting cognitive function in older adults.
A systematic review of randomized trials involving age-related cognitive impairment found an overall improvement in global cognitive function with photobiomodulation. Treatment parameters varied considerably, reinforcing the importance of wavelength, dose, treatment location and treatment duration.
The research does not establish photobiomodulation as a cure for dementia or other neurodegenerative disease. It does, however, provide a legitimate and growing scientific basis for studying light as a tool for supporting cognitive function and healthy brain aging.
Researchers are investigating whether supporting mitochondrial activity can help maintain cellular function as the brain ages.
Clinical trials have examined several areas of cognition rather than focusing on a single memory or intelligence measure.
What the Research Is Showing
Cognitive Photobiomodulation Is Moving Beyond the Experimental Stage
The evidence surrounding photobiomodulation and cognitive function has grown substantially. A 2025 systematic review and meta-analysis brought together 24 randomized controlled trials involving 820 participants.
Compared with control groups, photobiomodulation produced significant improvements in global cognitive function, working-memory span, attention and reaction-time measures of executive function.
Benefits were reported across both healthy participants and people experiencing cognitive impairment, although the strength of the effect varied according to the population and cognitive measure being studied.
The researchers also noted meaningful differences between study protocols. Wavelength, dose, treatment location, treatment duration and the population being treated can all influence results, which is why cognitive photobiomodulation continues to be an active area of clinical investigation.
Whole-Body Photobiomodulation
Where the TheraLight 360 Becomes Particularly Interesting
Much of the cognitive photobiomodulation research has used transcranial systems designed to direct light specifically toward the head. The TheraLight 360 approaches photobiomodulation differently by providing high-intensity red and near-infrared exposure across the body during a single treatment.
The TheraLight 360 uses multiple wavelengths including 633, 810, 850 and 940 nm. The 810 and 850 nm near-infrared wavelengths are particularly interesting because wavelengths within this range are also widely represented in neurological and cognitive photobiomodulation research.
With approximately 48,000 diodes and irradiance reaching 165 mW/cm², the system combines high optical output with extremely dense light coverage rather than relying on a small number of low-output LEDs positioned around the body.
This does not make a whole-body treatment identical to a dedicated transcranial device, but it does make the TheraLight 360 fundamentally different from many low-output consumer red-light systems when considering wavelength, irradiance and total treatment coverage.
810 nm
A near-infrared wavelength frequently represented in photobiomodulation research involving mitochondrial function, tissue penetration and neurological applications.
850 nm
A near-infrared wavelength used in both targeted cognitive research and published whole-body photobiomodulation research involving brain fog.
165 mW/cm²
High irradiance allows the TheraLight 360 to deliver substantial optical energy across the treatment area during a relatively short session.
Dense Full-Body Coverage
Thousands of closely distributed diodes allow red and near-infrared light to reach a very large treatment area at the same time.
A Particularly Relevant Study
Researchers Have Already Studied Cognition With a Whole-Body Light Bed
Most brain photobiomodulation studies have concentrated light directly on the head, but whole-body cognitive research has begun to appear as well.
In one human pilot study, researchers compared a transcranial photobiomodulation helmet with a whole-body red and near-infrared light bed. The whole-body system used 660 and 850 nm wavelengths and participants completed 12 treatments over four weeks.
The whole-body group demonstrated significant improvements across several cognitive tests following treatment. The researchers reported improvements in measures that included general cognitive performance, processing speed and executive function.
Only seven participants received the whole-body treatment, so this study should be viewed as early evidence rather than a final answer. It is nevertheless important because it demonstrates that researchers have begun observing cognitive changes following whole-body photobiomodulation rather than exclusively through pinpoint transcranial treatment.
Energy Needs Blood Flow
Circulation, Nitric Oxide & the Brain
Healthy brain function depends on a continuous supply of oxygen and nutrients. Even brief disruptions in cerebral blood flow can affect the way neurons function because brain tissue has such high metabolic demands.
Photobiomodulation can influence nitric-oxide signaling, which is involved in vascular function and blood flow. Researchers are examining how these effects may interact with cellular metabolism and nervous-system function.
This does not mean red light simply sends more blood to the brain. The relationship involves vascular signaling, mitochondrial activity, oxygen utilization and other biological processes that researchers continue to investigate.
Neurons require a constant supply of oxygen and nutrients to support their unusually high level of metabolic activity.
Nitric oxide plays multiple roles in circulation and cellular signaling and is one of the mechanisms being investigated in photobiomodulation research.
Cognitive Wellness
Why People Are Interested in Cognitive Photobiomodulation
Interest in cognitive wellness is not limited to people with diagnosed cognitive impairment. Memory, attention and mental performance are important throughout adult life.
01
Healthy Adults
Studies in healthy adults have investigated attention, working memory, reaction time and other measures of cognitive performance.
02
Older Adults
Photobiomodulation is being researched as a non-invasive approach to supporting aspects of cognitive function that can change with age.
03
Memory & Focus
Working memory and attention are among the areas showing encouraging results in randomized photobiomodulation research.
04
Brain Fog
Early research has investigated photobiomodulation for difficulty concentrating, slowed mental processing and other symptoms commonly described as brain fog.
05
Healthy Aging
Cognitive health is an important part of healthy aging, making brain-energy and mitochondrial research especially interesting later in life.
06
Whole-Body Wellness
The brain does not function separately from sleep, exercise, circulation, metabolic health and the rest of the body, making cognitive health part of a larger wellness picture.
Supporting the Brain
Red Light Therapy Is One Part of Cognitive Wellness
Photobiomodulation is an exciting area of brain research, but cognitive health still depends on many interconnected factors including physical activity, quality sleep, nutrition, cardiovascular health, social interaction and continued mental stimulation.
Red light therapy is best viewed as a potential way of supporting cellular processes rather than replacing the fundamentals that help maintain brain and nervous-system health.
New or rapidly worsening memory problems, confusion, difficulty speaking or other significant neurological changes should always be evaluated by an appropriate health-care professional.
A Growing Area of Research
The Connection Between Light & Cognition Is Becoming Harder to Ignore
Photobiomodulation research has progressed from investigating basic cellular mechanisms to randomized human trials measuring memory, attention, executive function and overall cognitive performance.
The strongest evidence does not suggest that light somehow makes a person instantly smarter. Instead, it points toward an interaction between specific wavelengths of light and the mitochondrial, metabolic and signaling processes the brain depends on to function.
With randomized clinical research now demonstrating measurable cognitive effects and early whole-body studies producing encouraging results, photobiomodulation has become an important area of continuing research into brain energy, mental performance and healthy cognitive aging.
Learn More
Want to Understand the Science Behind the Light?
Learn how photobiomodulation works, why wavelength and dose matter and how red and near-infrared light interact with cells and tissue.
Wellington, Florida
Explore Whole-Body Red Light Therapy
Discover how the TheraLight 360 and red and near-infrared photobiomodulation can become part of your wellness routine at Choice Vision Care & Wellness.
8475 Lake Worth Rd. Ste 200Wellington, FL 33467