Transcranial Photobiomodulation Therapy as an Intervention for Opioid Cravings and Depression: A Pilot Cohort Study

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> The opioid crisis, a declared national health emergency, has prompted the exploration of innovative treatments to address the pervasive issues of opioid cravings and associated depression. <b><i>Aims:</i></b> This pilot cohort study investigated the efficacy of transcranial Photobiomodulation (tPBM) therapy using the SunPowerLED helmet to alleviate these symptoms in individuals undergoing treatment for opioid addiction at a rehabilitation center in West Virginia. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> Employing a quasi-experimental design, this study enrolled participants into two groups: one receiving tPBM therapy alongside standard care and a control group receiving standard care alone. The helmet features include the following: total wavelength = 810 nm, total irradiance = 0.06 W/cm² (60 m W/cm²), and total fluence = 172.8J/cm². <b><i>Results:</i></b> The results of the Wilcoxon signed-rank tests for within-group analysis and Mann-Whitney U tests for between-group comparisons revealed statistically significant reductions in the intensity (W = 7.36<i>, p</i> = 0.012), time (W = 6.50, <i>p</i> = 0.015), frequency (W = 6.50, <i>p</i> = 0.010), and total scores of opioid cravings (W = 7.50, <i>p</i> = 0.009), as well as improvements in depression symptoms (W= 8.00, <i>p</i> = 0.005) within the PBM group compared to the non-PBM group. <b><i>Discussion:</i></b> These findings suggest that transcranial PBM therapy could be a promising noninvasive intervention for reducing opioid cravings and depressive symptoms in individuals with opioid use disorder, warranting further investigation through larger randomized controlled trials.