Noninvasive non-drug treatment of dementia and other neurodegenerative disorders with photobiomodulation is getting more evidence of its effectiveness published in the traditional scientific literature. We are gratified and excited to see this approach gaining traction and hope this can lead to increased interest in Quietmind's integrated treatment model of photobiomodulation with infrared light and brainwave biofeedback training.  This study builds on the work done at MIT with animals and shows how the pulsed light can influence neurochemistry and cellular communication processes to mitigate neurodegenerative activity.

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/flickering-lights-can-slow-and-reverse-alzheimers-mit-study/

I found a paper https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21459521  
Med Hypotheses. 2011 Jun;76(6):769-73. doi: 10.1016/j.mehy.2011.01.020. Epub 2011 Apr 2.Tardive dysphoria: the role of long term antidepressant use in-inducing chronic depression.El-Mallakh RS1, Gao Y, Jeannie Roberts R.

This provoked me to inquire of my colleagues as to why there'd been no further exploration of this issue to be found in teh literature since 2011 and I got this reply from Robert Thatcher a neuroscientist and developer of the Neuroguide EEG analysis software that we use at Quietmind for our clnical and research activities. It is clear that the continued use of SSRI medications is now getting more critical attention now 30 years after the arrival of Prozac. Neurofeedback and other treatment methods are able to provide similar results without side effects and that last long after the training process has been completed. Here's Dr. Thatcher's reply:

This post concerns he science and publications showing negative effects after long term use of antidepressants.  The negative effect of the antidepresssants is called Tardive Dysphoria which is chronic depression induced by long term use of antidepressants.  There are several interesting studies on this topic if one does a simple Google search as well as a search of the National Library of Medicine database, e.g., https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30199999Tardive dysphoria: the role of long term antidepressant use in-inducing chronic depression
http://unthinkable.cc/long-term-evidence-we-cant-ignore-anymore-anti-depressant-outcomes/
http://behaviorismandmentalhealth.com/2014/04/08/antidepressants-make-things-worse-in-the-long-term/

A common hypothesis is that anti-depressants inhibit re-uptake that results in increased serotonin in the extracellular space however over time there are compensatory mechanisms that remove serotonin faster than the drug can block re-uptake or different re-uptake mechanisms develop that result in a worse and chronic outcome.

Ketamine has a different mode of action, e.g., midline thalamus de-coupling to the medial frontal lobes and hippocampus that appears to disrupt a cyclic dynamic and sort of refreshes the circuity for a while,e.g., Cortical-brainstem (nu. Raphe) regulatory control mechanisms.   A search of the National Library of Medicine database using the search terms "Depression Brain Network" results in 2,875 citations.  There is good agreement about the hubs of this network between different imaging modalities such as fMRI, PET and EEG/MEG.  Therefore, a reasonable idea is to measure the brain networks related to depression using QEEG and LORETA as a baseline assessment and then use NFB to reinforce increased stability and efficiency of the nodes and connections between the hubs of the depression network as well as to use QEEG to assess the relative effectiveness of non-SSRI treatment..   As Wes stated, exercise and good diet (Typtophan is a precursor of serotonin) and lifestyle changes and perhaps also Ketamine.  However, given the risk of doing harm based on the over use of anti-depressant drugs as published in the scientific literature points toward considering alternative treatments.  
Bob Thatcher, PhD  Applied Neuroscience Inc.

 

​brain_photobiomodulation-preliminary_results_from_.pdf

The above article supports the value of low-level infrared light stimulation using sophisticated blood oxygenation and imaging technology. We used similar though less advanced tools in our 2012 study 28 days of 6-minute, transcranial and intraocular 1065-1075nm photobiomodulation of subjects struggling with probable Alzheimer's disease.  The current study using the same device is now 56-days with more powerful lLED stimulation. 

Our approach to treatment is aligned with Dr. Perlmutter, Bredesen and supports the Institute for Functional Medicine's model for clinical intervention by boosting the capacity for recovery and healing. Photobiomodulation stimulates mitochondria to produce more ATP and thereby improve the brain's ability to function efficiently. Neurofeedback adds an important component to this process by improving the neural connectivity that allows for continued improvement by having renormalized brain network functioning. Functional medicine works to remove the underlying bacterial, viral and toxic contributors to neurophysiological deterioration.

globallymealliance.org/top-7-science-based-events-to-impact-lyme-disease-in-2018/​

There's​ growing evidence that the underlying cause of dementia is not the beta amyloid proteins that then develop into plaques that can interfere within neurons communicating efficiently. New thinking by Rudy Tanzi and Robert Moir and others now suggests that amyloid activity is part of the earliest forms of our immune system. Our work with neurofeedback and photobiomodulation supports this way of thinking as it refocuses attention at the system level where many factors can be considered 'causal' in the deterioration of synaptic communication. This leads to thinking more broadly and creatively about intervention strategies that include non-drug, noninvasive technologies like neurofeedback and infrared light therapy. The following discussion provides a context for how they arrived at this new view of beta amyloid as not the primal generator in neurodegeneration. 

www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/02/18/580475245/scientists-explore-ties-between-alzheimers-and-brains-ancient-immune-system

​About a year ago I read an article in the AARP magazine about a study being done with the use of Vielight for depression and Alzheimer’s.  I was so excited to read about it because 10 years ago my mother had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and soon she would be moving here to Tennessee where there would be more family support for her with my sister who also moved here and one of our brother’s living here.  My husband and I did a lot of research and were determined God had given us an answer to my mom’s disease. But we were not sure we could make the investment.
 
In February my mom moved in with us. My husband and I were overwhelmed with all that came at us. All that we had been warned about by our doctor friends was happening.  She was aggressive, confused, escaping in the middle of the night and very scared.  That was it we had to have the Vielight.  We contacted Dr. Berman and as soon as we received the Vielight I got on the phone with him and did a skype call so he could show me the positions I needed to use and start the therapy.
 
I am excited to tell you that my mom now lives in her own home (with full time care takers of course).  She is happy and very active.  She volunteers with her caretaker at a local thrift store and realizes she lives in a very peaceful community in Tennessee.  She talks to her friends on the phone and is able to share with us how her friends are doing after having a conversation with them.  She still shows signs of the disease but I believe that we have halted the progression and may even turned but the clock on the bloody thing.
 
We hope to have my mom with us a very long time.  She has no other medical issues and the Vielight has been an answer to prayers.
 

​The placebo effect has solid neurophysiological and biochemical roots that need to be appreciated for their direct influence over clinical outcomes, i.e., recovery of functioning and healing. Psychotherapy and neurofeedback and all the 'softer' (noninvasive) interventions now can be better understood for their role in treatment. 
 
www.nytimes.com/2018/11/07/magazine/placebo-effect-medicine.html