Evaluating the effect of transcranial light therapy on depression symptoms and quantitative electroencephalographic changes

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Department of Psychology, Payam Noor University, Tehran, Iran

2 Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

Abstract

Introduction: The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of transcranial light therapy on depression symptoms and quantitative electroencephalographic changes.
Materials and Methods: In this clinical trial, six cases with depression were selected through convenient method and randomly divided into two experimental and control groups. Beck Depression Inventory and Quantitative Electroencephalographic Changes (QEEG) were performed in pretest and post-test. The treatment performed in 10 sessions (twice a week for 3 or 4 minutes). The forehead and F3 and F4 sites selected for stimulation. Data analyzed through descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney U test, Wilcoxon, T test, and SPSS software.
Results: Delta wave amplitudes showed a significant difference between two groups in FP2 channel (P= 0.016). The results of Beck Depression Inventory showed a significant decrease in experimental group (P=0.03).
Conclusion: Based on the results of the present study, low-level light therapy can be considered as a promising treatment and an effective, affordable and low-cost method for depression disorder and cognitive function.

Keywords

References

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Journal of Fundamentals of Mental Health
Volume 22, Issue 3
May and June 2020
Pages 139-143

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