Phototherapy May Aid Cognitive Function With Dementia
FRIDAY, April 7, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Phototherapy may improve cognitive function in patients with dementia, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis published online April 5 in Brain and Behavior.
Xinlian Lu, from the School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences at Peking University in Beijing, and colleagues conducted a systematic literature review and meta-analysis to examine the effectiveness of phototherapy on cognitive function in older adult patients with dementia. Cognitive function as measured by the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score was the primary outcome, while the secondary outcomes included behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia and sleep.
Based on 12 randomized controlled trials (766 patients with dementia), the researchers found that phototherapy interventions significantly improved MMSE scores. However, the groups did not significantly differ in the Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia score, Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory score, Neuropsychiatric Inventory score, sleep efficiency, total sleep time, and Sleep Disorders Inventory score.
"Our meta-analysis indicates that phototherapy improved cognitive function in patients with dementia but had no significant effect on behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia and sleep. This suggests that phototherapy may be one of the most promising nonpharmacological interventions for improving core symptoms of dementia," the authors write. "Further studies are required to validate these methodologically heterogeneous results."
Related Posts
AHA News: Higher Ed May Boost Heart Health – But Not Equally for All Races, Ethnicities
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 5, 2022 (American Heart Association News) -- More education is...
Obesity Linked to COPD, Asthma in Pre-, Postmenopausal Women
FRIDAY, March 4, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- For premenopausal and postmenopausal...
Health Highlights: July 19, 2022
Where pot became legal, car crash deaths rose. In states that legalized...
High Blood Pressure Doubles Odds That COVID Will Be Severe
MONDAY, July 25, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Nearly half of American adults have...