Brain Photobiomodulation: Searching for Predictive Target Engagement

Dear Colleagues,

The goal of this Special Issue is to bring together a collection of papers—either preclinical or clinical studies—to elucidate the effects of t-PBM on neurophysiological targets. The latter might include neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, and neurogenesis as well as neurometabolites, brain waves, and connectivity (the list is not exhaustive but rather an exemplification). It will be critically important to accurately report the t-PBM parameters and the expected light deposition at the target as well as the treatment safety and tolerability.

We welcome the submission of manuscripts including, but not limited to, the following topics:

• Applications of t-PBM in animal models of stress-related disorders, especially depression and anxiety, considering pathobiological insights into genetic vulnerability, altered hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis activity, monoamines dysfunction, deficiency of cerebral blood flow (CBF) in specific brain regions, neurotoxic and neurotrophic processes, reduced gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) activity, dysregulation of the glutamate system, impaired circadian rhythms, etc.;
• Preclinical and clinical studies involving t-PBM applications for neurodegenerative diseases (e.g., Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s) and neuropsychiatric disorders (e.g., major depressive disorder (MDD)), thus aiming to target specific regions of the central nervous system (e.g., hippocampus, amygdala, prefrontal cortex (PFC), and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC)). Special focus will be given (but it is not restricted) to analyses involving cutting-edge technologies such as fMRI, accompanied by clinical measures of mood, cognition, suicidal ideation, sleep, anhedonia, etc.;
• Methodological and study protocol papers that advance the field by exemplifying the best approaches for t-PBM studies with specific neurophysiological targets will also be considered.

Dr. Paolo Cassano
Dr. Willians Fernando Vieira
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Photonics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• transcranial photobiomodulation
• low-level light therapy
• major depressive disorder
• anxiety disorders
• Alzheimer’s disease
• Down syndrome
• bipolar disorder
• brain injury
• sexual dysfunction