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Research Library
Every Published Study Behind Vielight Technology
For over a decade, the world’s leading universities and hospitals have put Vielight’s light-therapy devices to the test, in athletes, veterans, patients, and healthy brains. Here’s the complete picture: who was studied, how many people took part, what changed, and what the brain scans actually showed.
Includes work with the University of Utah, Harvard Medical School, University of Toronto, UCSF, University of Sydney, Baycrest, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and more.
The headline number
Vielight’s published clinical trial on viral recovery (n=294) is the largest successful photobiomodulation trial published to date, built on our patented intranasal and systemic technology.
Photobiomodulation, Photomedicine and Laser Surgery. This trial used intranasal plus systemic delivery (not transcranial), making it the flagship of our whole-body light platform.
Why “where the light enters” matters
Most brain light-therapy devices on the market are transcranial only. They shine light at the outside of the skull and hope enough reaches deep brain tissue. Vielight pioneered a second pathway: intranasal delivery, placing near-infrared light inside the nostril, where it travels a naturally thin, porous bone route toward the brain’s core.
This isn’t just a design preference. It’s been measured. In a 2025 real-time MRI study at Baycrest (University of Toronto, n=45), researchers compared the two channels head-to-head. Intranasal light produced the same brain-fluid effect at roughly 1/20th the irradiance of a forehead device, and the combined intranasal-plus-transcranial approach produced the strongest effect of all. That’s the case for itPBM, made with a brain scanner rather than a slogan.
Transcranial only (tPBM)Light fights through skull, hair, and scalp before reaching the surface of the brain. Coverage skews toward the outer cortex. Useful, but it’s reaching part of the picture. |
Intranasal + transcranial (itPBM)Vielight’s approach. The nasal channel opens a direct optical route toward deeper, central structures, combined with cortical coverage for whole-brain reach. |
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The neuroimaging evidence
Brain scans are where Vielight’s research stands apart. These studies didn’t just ask people how they felt. They watched the brain change on fMRI, MRI, DTI, and EEG. Nearly every one used Vielight’s intranasal-transcranial combination.
Includes intranasal
Transcranial component
Brain imaging / objective measure
| Study & area | Participants | Delivery | Imaging | What changed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intranasal PBM reaches subcortical structures (first human fMRI evidence)Chao et al., 2026 · Preprint (bioRxiv) Read the analysis → |
47 healthy young adults | Intranasal tPBM | BOLD fMRI | First fMRI assessment of intranasal PBM in humans. BOLD responses evolved across both cortical and subcortical regions, with intranasal delivery via the cribriform plate reaching deep structures at lower power than forehead delivery. Preprint, not yet peer-reviewed. |
| Brain fluid (glymphatic) dynamicsMotsenyat et al., 2025 · Baycrest / U Toronto · Brain Stimulation View study → |
45 healthy adults | Intranasal tPBM | Real-time fMRI | Just 4 minutes boosted cerebrospinal-fluid flow. Intranasal matched forehead delivery at about 1/20 the light; combined itPBM was strongest. |
| Mild cognitive impairment (MCI)2024 · U Toronto / St. Michael’s View study → |
20 with MCI | Intranasal tPBM | Connectivity + biomarkers | Better cognition, brain connectivity, mitochondrial function, and favorable Alzheimer’s-linked blood markers after 6 weeks. |
| Cerebellar network efficiency in TBI athletesLiebel et al., 2025 · U Utah / UCLA / Mount Sinai View study → |
30 with TBI | Intranasal tPBM | fMRI | Improved cerebellar network efficiency and segregation after itPBM with the Neuro Gamma. |
| Brain resilience to head impacts (college football)2026 · U Utah / BYU · Journal of Neurotrauma View study → |
26 NCAA D-I players | Intranasal tPBM | Advanced diffusion MRI | Double-blind, season-long study tracking white-matter changes, exploring whether PBM can help armor the brain against repeated impacts. |
| Memory & brain perfusion in dementiaChao, 2019 · UCSF / VA View study → |
8 with dementia | Intranasal tPBM | fMRI + perfusion | Improved ADAS-cog scores, increased cerebral blood flow, and stronger default-mode-network connectivity. |
| Neural oscillations / first proof of neuromodulationZomorrodi et al., 2019 · U Toronto / CAMH · Nature Sci. Reports View study → |
20 healthy adults | Intranasal tPBM | EEG | Boosted alpha/gamma network efficiency across up to about 90% of tested connections, none under sham. First brain-PBM device to show direct EEG neuromodulation. |
| Single-session brain activity mapping2019 · University of Sydney · Neuroscience View study → |
24 healthy young adults | Transcranial 810nm | fMRI (rest + task) | Mapped how a single Vielight session shifts resting-state and task-based brain activity. |
| Connectivity in possible CTE (ex-footballers)2023 · Harvard Medical School / Boston U View study → |
4 ex-players | Intranasal tPBM | MRI + spectroscopy | Increased brain connectivity and higher N-acetyl-aspartate (a neuronal-health marker) alongside better mood and cognition. |
| Brain function & structure after concussion2020 · UCSF / VA · Frontiers in Neurology View study → |
1 (hockey player) | Intranasal tPBM | MRI volume + connectivity | Improved brain volume, functional connectivity, memory, attention, and processing speed; fewer headaches. |
Clinical & performance studies
Beyond the scanner, Vielight technology has been tested for the things people actually feel: moving better, thinking more clearly, recovering faster.
| Study & area | Participants | Delivery | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| TBI cognition, largest of its kindJohnson et al., 2024 · U Utah / Mount Sinai · Neuro Gamma View study → |
44 head-impact | Intranasal tPBM | Largest published trial to show significant gains on objective cognitive tests in a TBI population. Reaction time and reactive balance improved with large effect sizes. |
| Neuromuscular control after head impacts2024 · University of Utah · Neuro Gamma View study → |
43 with mild TBI | Intranasal tPBM | Significant improvements in reaction time, grip strength, and balance after 8 to 10 weeks of at-home use. |
| Parkinson’s mobility & cognitionLiebert et al., 2021 · University of Sydney · Neuro Gamma View study → |
12 with Parkinson’s | Intranasal tPBM | First brain-PBM trial with positive clinical results in Parkinson’s: significant gains in mobility, balance, fine motor skills, and cognition, lasting up to a year. Walking speed rose about 50%. |
| Firefighter PTSD & cognition2025 · U Utah / Mount Sinai · Neuro Alpha View study → |
14 firefighters | Intranasal tPBM | itPBM used to reduce inflammation and support brain-network function in first responders. |
| Creativity / divergent thinkingPeña et al., 2023 · Deusto / Montpellier / Penn State · Neuro Gamma View study → |
58 healthy | Intranasal Transcranial (DMN) | Large-effect improvements in idea fluency and originality vs sham, targeting the default-mode network. |
| Chemo-related cognitive impairment (chemo brain)2025 · Valenciennes & Martinique hospitals · Neuro Duo View study → |
39 patients | Intranasal tPBM | Significant improvements in memory and mental clarity using a 40 Hz protocol. |
| Dementia, cognition & behavior2025 · Harvard Medical School / Boston U · Neuro Gamma View study → |
5 with dementia | Intranasal tPBM | Significant cognitive gains plus better sleep and reduced anxiety over 12 weeks. |
| Autism spectrum disorder (children)Pallanti, 2022 · Istituto di Neuroscienze · Neuro Duo View study → |
21 children | Intranasal tPBM | Reduced ASD severity, noncompliant behavior, parental stress, and cognitive rigidity; better attention and sleep over 6 months of home use. |
| Gulf War Illness, thinking & memory2019 · VA Boston Healthcare System · MIP View study → |
47 veterans | Intranasal tPBM | Intranasal red/NIR therapy used to support cognition and blood flow; FDA-classified low-risk. |
| Gulf War Illness, symptom criteria (case reports)Chao et al., 2019 · UCSF / VA · Military Medicine View study → |
2 veterans | Intranasal tPBM | After 12 weeks, one veteran no longer met clinical criteria for Gulf War Illness; the second showed significant reductions in fatigue, pain, and cognitive symptoms. |
| Long COVID brain fog2026 · Vielight · The Lancet (eClinicalMedicine) · Neuro RX Gamma View study → |
43 patients | Intranasal tPBM | Gold-standard randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled trial showing cognitive gains from fully at-home itPBM. |
The whole-body platform: viral recovery & immunity
Vielight’s reach extends beyond the brain. The intranasal-and-systemic platform targets the immune system directly, and it’s home to our single largest trial.
| Study & area | Participants | Delivery | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| COVID-19 recovery, the flagship trialLiebert et al., 2023 · U Johannesburg · RX-Plus · Health Canada licensed View study → |
294 adults | Intranasal Systemic | The largest successful PBM trial published to date. Patients treated within 0 to 7 days of symptoms recovered significantly faster, with fewer respiratory issues, headaches, congestion, and body aches, likely via lower cytokine levels. |
The science underneath: cellular studies
Before any of this reaches a person, the question is whether light actually does something to living cells. These foundational studies show how Vielight’s 810nm near-infrared light interacts with the cellular machinery of the brain.
| Study | Collaborators | Finding |
|---|---|---|
| NIR light shifts metabolism in cells2025 · Neuro Pro 2 · 810nm @ 10Hz View study → |
University of Alberta | Enhanced viability in healthy cell models while slowing some cancer-cell models, showing PBM’s effects aren’t indiscriminate. (Preliminary; not a cancer treatment.) |
| Raman spectroscopy: tubulin structure2024 · Neuro Alpha View study → |
Polytechnic U of Turin, U of Alberta | PBM altered tubulin protein structure (alpha-helix to beta-sheet), with possible implications for neurodegenerative-disease research. |
| PBM of living cells, tubulin & microtubules2022 · Neuro Alpha View study → |
Princeton, U of Alberta, Turin | Showed PBM can modulate tubulin polymerization and cellular processes, foundational mechanism work. |
| Antimicrobial light studies (blue / photodynamic)2016 to 2018 · MIP series View study → |
Harvard Medical School | Demonstrated antimicrobial effects of blue and photodynamic light against bacteria (incl. MRSA) and fungi (incl. C. albicans) in lab and animal models across three papers. |
Also in the research library
Reviews, registered protocols, and early exploratory observations that round out the portfolio. These are synthesis papers, formal study plans, and single-case pilot recordings rather than controlled trial results, included for completeness. Early-stage observations are uncontrolled and require confirmatory studies.
| Study | Type | Delivery | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Photobiomodulation in chronic TBI (scientific review)Lim et al., 2024 · Vielight Inc. · Cells (MDPI) | Review | Review of cellular mechanisms and clinical outcomes across published TBI studies. Supports PBM as a promising approach for chronic TBI; no significant adverse effects reported. | |
| Alzheimer’s disease mechanisms (scientific review)Lim, 2024 · Vielight Inc. · Frontiers in Neurology | Review | Synthesis of PBM mechanisms across genetic, mitochondrial, and protein-aggregation drivers of Alzheimer’s. Proposes EEG-guided personalization. | |
| EEG microstates after Vielight Vagus (single-case observation)Garner & Feiner, 2026 · Single-case observation · Vielight Vagus View study → |
Observation | Intranasal Vagus | Exploratory single-session EEG recording. The attention-linked microstate D stepped back and the visual-network microstate B rose, a quieter, more inward pattern loosely consistent with a calm-oriented design. Uncontrolled, single case (n=1). |
| EEG microstates after Vielight Neuro Gamma (single-case observation, draft)Garner & Feiner, 2026 · Single-case observation (draft) · Neuro Gamma View study → |
Observation (draft) | Intranasal tPBM | Exploratory single-session recording at 40 Hz. A below-normal attention pattern (microstate D) rose toward typical values during active stimulation, loosely consistent with a cognition-oriented design. Working draft, uncontrolled, single case (n=1). |
| Schizophrenia open-label trial protocol2026 · Nat. Center of Neurology & Psychiatry (Japan) · Neuropsych. Disease & Treatment | Protocol | Intranasal tPBM | Published protocol for an open-label transcranial and intranasal PBM trial in schizophrenia (jRCT032240756). No efficacy data yet; trial in progress. |
What’s coming next
Vielight’s research pipeline keeps growing. Active and recruiting studies extend the work into larger and tougher questions.
Phase 3 Alzheimer’s (n=228)A large multi-site trial across Canada and the U.S. testing the Neuro RX Gamma in moderate-to-severe Alzheimer’s. With U of Toronto and St. Michael’s Hospital. NCT03484143 |
At-risk Alzheimer’s (n=168)Near-infrared therapy in older adults at risk for Alzheimer’s, with the National Institute on Aging, U of Florida and U of Arizona. NCT04018092 |
Chronic mTBI in service members (n=300)A DOD-funded ($4.6M) drug-free trial for service members and first responders. With U of Utah and NYU. |
MCI recruiting (n=60)A 12-week non-drug study in Toronto adults 50+ noticing memory changes. With U of Toronto and Unity Health. NCT06618807 |
Explore the research for yourself
About these studies. This summary describes findings from peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations, and registered clinical trials conducted by independent institutions and by Vielight Inc. Study designs range from large randomized controlled trials to small pilot studies and individual case reports; sample sizes and evidence levels vary accordingly, and early-stage findings require larger confirmatory trials. Vielight Neuro devices are categorized by the FDA as general wellness devices. The Vielight RX-Plus holds a Health Canada medical device license for accelerating recovery of upper respiratory symptoms. Nothing here is a medical claim or a substitute for advice from a qualified healthcare professional. Individual results vary.