An Effective and Safe Novel Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder: Unilateral Transcranial Photobiomodulation.

ABSTRACT: Background: The opioid epidemic is a global tragedy even with current treatments, and a novel, safe, and effective treatment would be welcomed. We report here our findings from our second randomized controlled trial to evaluate unilateral transcranial photobiomodulation as a treatment for opioid use disorder. Methods: We enrolled 39 participants with active opioid cravings at 2 sites, 19 received the active treatment which consisted of a 4-min twice weekly (every 3 or 4 days) application of a light-emitting diode at 810 nm with an irradiance of 250 mW/cm² and a fluence of 60 J/cm² to the forehead over either the left or right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex with a fluence to the brain of 2.1 J/cm². Twenty participants received a sham treatment

SUBMITTER: Schiffer F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8382852 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature