🛑Weekly Newsletter: 1,064 nm (NIR) For Working Memory?

This week, we're covering a new study of using "transcranial" (through the skull) light therapy at 1,064 nm for cognitive performance.

Yes, you can stay sharp that way as you age...

And we've added all of our latest content - which are several reviews by Alex, of 2 panels and a belt, and an interview by Bart!

Let's go:

Boost Your Working Memory With 1,064 nm Near-Infrared Light

This study came out August 2025. Healthy older adults were included in the study.

I'll start with the study setup, which you can see below, whereby the participants don't know whether they receive near-infrared light (NIR) at 1,064 nm becuase it's invisible to the human eye:

Here's what you see in that picture:

On the left, the "tPBM" or "transcranial Photobiomodulation", can be translated into "red light therapy for the brian" or skull. Here, the light is applied to the brain
In the middle, the fNIRS, is a measurement of blood flow to the brain. The fNIRS can also help diagnose neurodegeneration or mental health conditions.
On the right, you see the n-Back exercise/test. This is a brain game where you need to remember locations and sounds 3 steps back, and press keys on the keyboard whenever the sound or location matches, and/or both.
At the bottom, you see the fNIRS device placement across the skull/brain, for measurement.

Here's what the researchers conclude, in plain English:

[Red light therapy targeting the skull/brain (tPBM)] has the potential to improve working memory in healthy older adults.
The mechanism of improving working memory by [Red light therapy targeting the skull/brain] may be through alterations of the resting-state functional brain network properties.
The altered working memory were positively correlated with the changes of functional connectivity and nodal efficiency mainly in the left prefrontal cortex [which is like the CEO of your brain and engaged in planning, impulse control, etc]
The [Red light therapy targeting the skull/brain] may serve as an effective and non-invasive neurostimulation technique."

Working memory, in turn, can help with many things that require cognitive performance, such as quick calculations, remembering names of several people or orders in a restaurant, and so forth. Working memory in humans is like working memory with computers - you need these for quick execution!

How big is that difference in working memory? Well, let's check below, where you see the dual-n-back performance in both the groups that received the light therapy (active) and the placebo group (sham):

On the left, accuracy is measured, on the 1,064 nm laser group statistically outperforms the control group (sham). On the right, you see reaction time, which is lower in the active (1,064 nm) group, meaning that cognitive performance goes up.

Brain connectivity, moreover, also goes up with the light therapy treatment:

Study participants were, on average, almost 65 years old across both groups. Some had some minor health issues, such as hypertension, type II diabetes and high cholesterol (so some weren't fully healthy!)

Lastly, you may be curious about the treatment protocol. That protocol is described very well actually in this paper - here's what the researchers write:

"[Transcranial (through the skull) red light therapy] was administered using a continuous-wave, 1064-nm laser beam (CNI laser-MIL-N-1064, China). The circular laser beam with a diameter of 4.16 cm was applied at a constant power output of 3.4 W for 12 minutes, and was held 2 cm away from the left forehead skin, targeting the left prefrontal cortex . Thus, the irradiance of tPBM was 0.25W/cm² (3.4 W/13.6 cm² = 0.25W/cm²), at which the laser beam caused negligible heat and no physical damage."

That 0.25 W/cm2 equals 250 mW/cm2, and is applied over a 4.16 cm area, which is about 1.5 inches for the Americans. So the power output is quite high, but the treatment area quite small, and the prefrontal cortex on the left, your brain's CEO, was treated here - with good outcomes!

Want to know more about brain red light therapy? Recently we've published/updated quite a few articles on these topics, such as:

And:

Here Are Our Latest Light Therapy Insiders' Articles:

Every single article that we've published recently - you can find the videos in the article itself:

Helio Cure Glow Review: They Actually Fixed the Problems! - So here's an upgraded panel, with a new review by Alex.
This Back Pain Wrap Has Red Light, Heat & Vibration—But Does It Work? - new wrap combining light, heat and vibration. Alex review this intersting combination of products for the back!
The Emergent Popularity Of Specialized Red Light Therapy Devices - Here are some of the specialized red light therapy devices that have become extremely popular in recent years!
Sunlighten Red Light Therapy Panel Review: Powerful, But Something’s Missing - A great bottoms-up design, high power, but there's one big caveat with this device. Alex reviews and explains why!
Red Light Therapy Benefits/Protocols: Simplifying 10,000 Studies - Bart interviews Vladimir Heiskanen, who built a database with 10,000 studies, which allows all the light therapy publications to be much more searchable. This interview is recommended for people who want deep dives / nerds!

Also, Check Out Some Of Our Other Content:

Below you'll find some of our best content that you shouldn't miss:

Light Therapy Insiders Science Tool

Search for different health conditions and benefits to get Bart's breakdown of the science on that topic, plus recommended devices and light therapy routines.

We've been trying to simplify our message as much as possible: