Trial reportLasers in surgery and medicine2019
Effects of transcranial photobiomodulation with near-infrared light on sexual dysfunction.
Trial report in Lasers in surgery and medicine, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
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.
Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 25 citations in OpenAlex.
- Devices used for photobiomodulation of the brain-a comprehensive and systematic review.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation · 2024Pooled it
- Photobiomodulation improves depression symptoms: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2023Pooled it
- Transcranial Photobiomodulation (tPBM) With 1,064-nm Laser to Improve Cerebral Metabolism of the Human Brain In Vivo.Lasers in surgery and medicine · 2020Trial
- Near-infrared laser transcranial photobiomodulation for the treatment of chronic stress-induced low sexual desire in male mice.Lasers in medical science · 2025Article
- Near-Infrared Stimulation in Psychiatry Disorders: A Systematic Review of Efficacy and Biological Mechanisms.NeuroSci · 2025Review
- Transcranial photobiomodulation add-on therapy to valproic acid for pentylenetetrazole-induced seizures in peripubertal rats.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2022Article
- An Effective and Safe Novel Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder: Unilateral Transcranial Photobiomodulation.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2021Article
- A Novel Treatment of Opioid Cravings With an Effect Size of .73 for Unilateral Transcranial Photobiomodulation Over Sham.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
11 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesTranscranial photobiomodulation (t-PBM) consists of the delivery of near-infrared (NIR) or red light to the scalp designed to penetrate to subjacent cortical areas of the brain. NIR t-PBM has recently emerged as a potential therapy for brain disorders. This study assessed the efficacy of repeated sessions of NIR t-PBM on sexual dysfunction.
methodsWe performed a secondary analysis of a double-blind clinical trial on t-PBM for major depressive disorder (MDD). Twenty individuals received NIR t-PBM (n = 9) or sham therapy (n = 11) twice a week for 8 weeks. Sexual desire, arousal, and orgasm were assessed using the Systematic Assessment for Treatment-Emergent Effects-Specific Inquiry (SAFTEE-SI).
resultsThe mean improvement in sexual function (decrease in SAFTEE sex total score) in subjects receiving t-PBM in NIR-mode was significantly greater than in subjects receiving sham-mode in the whole sample (NIR [n = 9] -2.55 ± 1.88 vs. sham [n = 11] -0.45 ± 1.21; z = 2.548, P = 0.011]) and in the completers (NIR [n = 5] -3.4 ± 1.95 vs. sham [n = 7] -0.14 ± 1.21; z = 2.576, P = 0.010]).
conclusionThis exploratory study with a small sample size indicates that repeated sessions of NIR t-PBM may be associated with therapeutic effects on sexual dysfunction. The latter appeared unrelated to the antidepressant effect of t-PBM in our cohort. Lasers Surg. Med. 51:127-135, 2019. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Registered trials
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 OpenQuestion graph.