Abstract
It is apparent that there is a close association between the gut microbiome and Parkinson’s disease, with many patients having gut symptoms. Gut microbiome dysfunction may be related to instigation and progression of Parkinson’s disease in many patients. There is also evidence that disrupting the gut microbiome, such as with antibiotics, can increase the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease. Photobiomodulation has the potential to alleviate the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease in both animal models and in humans and has also been shown to alter the microbiome in a mouse model. Here we assessed the interaction between photobiomodulation and the gut microbiome in four people with Parkinson’s disease, three of whom had participated in clinical trials and two of whom were prescribed antibiotics during the photobiomodulation treatment.
Patients were treated three times per week using infrared laser treatment to the abdomen and neck with or without LED treatment to the head. Gastrointestinal symptoms were assessed prior to treatment and after 4 weeks and 12 weeks of photobiomodulation therapy and microbiome status was assessed in 3 of the 4 patients. Outcome measures included motor signs and patient-reported non-motor symptoms including symptoms of constipation/diarrhea/gastric motility, and abdominal pain, as well as phylogenetic analysis of microbiome diversity.
Participants in this case series were seen as good responders to photobiomodulation treatment, with improvements in motor signs and non-motor symptoms. Gastrointestinal symptoms, including irritable bowel symptoms were improved, and microbiome analysis indicated a generally positive change in bacterial diversity. Antibiotic use during the photobiomodulation treatment had a negative effect on motor and non-motor improvements, as well as disrupting the microbiome.
Results of this study suggest that photobiomodulation may have a role in the improvement of the gut microbiome, which could be advantageous in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease, considering the strong microbiome-gut-brain-axis in the disease.