Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42377668›Full record

ReviewNeuromolecular medicine2026

Near‑Infrared Photobiomodulation in White‑Matter Disease: From Microglial States to Measurable Endpoints.

Jiahao Zhang, Quanguang Zhang, J Dedrick Jordan, Xuemei Zong

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Neuromolecular medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Jiahao ZhangInstitute for Cerebrovascular and Neuroregeneration Research (ICNR), Department of Neurology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, 1501 Kings Highway, Shreveport, LA, 71103, USA.ORCID 0009-0002-1017-1826
Quanguang ZhangInstitute for Cerebrovascular and Neuroregeneration Research (ICNR), Department of Neurology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, 1501 Kings Highway, Shreveport, LA, 71103, USA.
J Dedrick JordanDepartment of Neurology, College of Medicine - Tucson, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85724, United States.
Xuemei ZongInstitute for Cerebrovascular and Neuroregeneration Research (ICNR), Department of Neurology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, 1501 Kings Highway, Shreveport, LA, 71103, USA. xuemei.zong@lsuhs.edu.ORCID 0000-0003-0010-1664

Funding

American Heart Association Career Development 24CDA1269588National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health under R01AG082207 and R01AG081874U.S. Department of Defense 149251504A
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

White-matter (WM) injury contributes to disability across multiple sclerosis, traumatic brain injury, Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, and small-vessel disease. We use microglial state programs as an organizing axis for WM injury-to-repair logic, while emphasizing that WM outcomes are multicellular and involve oligodendrocyte-lineage cells, astrocytes, axons/neurons, and vascular factors. Microglia span an injury-repair continuum, from inflammatory programs that increase oxidative stress and debris burden to repair-competent programs that support debris handling, remyelination, and axonal integrity. Near-infrared photobiomodulation (PBM; ~800-1100 nm) is most consistently associated with modulation of mitochondrial redox/bioenergetic pathways and inflammatory tone. CCO-centered mechanistic framing is best established near ~ 800-850 nm, whereas longer wavelengths (e.g., ~ 1064-1070 nm) may involve additional initiating mechanisms with downstream convergence on shared redox/bioenergetic and inflammatory pathways. Across demyelination and spinal cord injury models, appropriately dosed PBM has been reported to reduce inflammatory glial readouts and to associate with improved myelin/axon-related endpoints and functional measures, although mechanistic certainty varies across models. Human evidence remains early but broadly supports safety; a randomized trial in moderate traumatic brain injury reported treatment-related changes in diffusion-MRI WM metrics, while small dementia and chronic-injury studies report heterogeneous cognitive and physiological signals. Given dose dependence and depth-limited transcranial delivery, we synthesize mechanism-informed, dose-aware reporting guidance and WM-anchored outcome frameworks that pair diffusion MRI/DTI with interpretable biomarkers (e.g., NfL, GFAP, sTREM2) and thermally controlled sham designs. We also note potential indirect/systemic contributions that could help reconcile depth-dose constraints with deeper WM effects.

Indexed as

Infrared RaysLeukoencephalopathiesLow-Level Light TherapyMicrogliaWhite MatterAnimalsAstrocytesAxonsHumansOligodendrogliaOxidative StressRemyelinationDiffusion tensor imagingDosimetryMicrogliaPhotobiomodulationRemyelinationWhite matter

Identifiers

PMID42377668
PMCPMC13320016

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.