Photobiomodulation and mitochondria for traumatic brain injury in mouse models

This chapter covers two studies conducted in the Wu laboratory. Immediate early response gene (IEX-1) is an immediate early response gene involved in maintaining mitochondrial function. The first study looked at mice with IEX-1 deficiency, and asked whether a traumatic brain injury (TBI) inflicted on these mice would be more or less severe than it was in wild-type (WT) mice. IEX-1 KO mice suffered worse pathological and cognitive outcome after TBI than WT mice, and interestingly transcranial photobiomodulation (tPBM) was able to rescue these mice from the effects of the TBI. The second study looked at a combination of tPBM and the metabolic modulators (pyruvate and lactate). The combination of tPBM with either pyruvate or lactate, synergistically improved brain function both in vitro and in vivo in TBI mice.