WALT/NAALT 2026 Hands-On Workshops

Introduction: Until now, brain photobiomodulation (PBM) has generally relied on parameters selected manually before stimulation and then kept fixed during a session. Yet biological responses can differ between individuals and change over time. In medicine, treatment is often adjusted according to measured physiological response. Personalized Brain Intervention (PBI) brings this feedback principle to brain PBM: measure how the individual brain responds, select the next permitted PBM input from that response, deliver it, and measure again. EEG provides a non-invasive window on the brain's electrical activity, while AI assists selection among human-approved PBM settings.

Methods: This 3.5-hour, two-part workshop combines practical explanation, case discussion, and a live end-to-end demonstration with a consenting adult volunteer. Using Vielight AI and the programmable Neuro Pro platform, the audience will see the cycle repeat approximately every five seconds: (1) record EEG; (2) assess the current response; (3) select from predefined PBM settings within human-set safety limits; (4) deliver PBM; and (5) remeasure and adapt. The projected interface will display signal quality, the setting selected, loop count, and time-stamped responses. Presenters will explain in clinically relevant terms what EEG can and cannot show, how movement and other artifacts are managed, why human oversight remains essential, and how adaptive PBI should be compared with the best fixed protocol. No prior EEG or computational background is required. 

Results (Workshop Outcomes): Participants will:

• Understand how PBI differs from conventional fixed PBM
• Recognize the respective roles of EEG, AI, PBM, and human oversight
• Observe a complete adaptive loop in real time
• Identify the scientific evidence required before clinical conclusions can be drawn. 

Conclusions: PBI points to the next evolution of precision PBM: not simply delivering a preset dose of light, but creating a continuing, measurable dialogue between the intervention and the brain. Future systems may learn which wavelength, pulse frequency, intensity, timing, and delivery sites produce a desired measurable response in a particular brain, then refine that response profile across sessions. This could help the PBM field investigate individual variability, distinguish responders from non-responders, improve reproducibility, and design more informative clinical studies. The live demonstration is intended to show technical operation and the ability to measure and respond to selected EEG features; it does not establish clinical benefit, diagnosis, or superiority. 

Learning Objectives:

• Explain PBI and distinguish it from manually selected, fixed PBM protocols.
• Describe the live PBI cycle and the roles of EEG, AI, PBM, and human oversight.
• Relate PBI to individual biological variability and the future of precision PBM.
• Identify the evidence needed to determine whether adaptive PBI is reproducible and clinically meaningful.

Introduction: Neurodegenerative diseases are increasingly recognized as systemic network disorders involving the gut–brain axis, glymphatic clearance system, and chronic neuroinflammation — not isolated brain failures. Current PBM approaches predominantly use transcranial or site-specific irradiation, which cannot reach the gut–brain axis, directly activate glymphatic drainage, or resolve systemic inflammation. This workshop presents a paradigm shift: whole-body PBM (WB-PBM) as a simultaneous, multi-axis preventive strategy targeting the gut, brain, and sleep–glymphatic system within a single session.

Methods: This 3-hour interactive workshop combines didactic presentation with a live physiological demonstration. Didactic content covers the mechanistic rationale for WB-PBM across three axes: 

1. Gut–brain axis pathology (Braak’s hypothesis, mapranosis, LPS-driven neuroinflammation)
2. Glymphatic system dysfunction (AQP4-mediated clearance, sleep architecture)
3. The triple synergy of WB-PBM (20-minute physiological cascade)

• Device: Hue Light USA Whole-Body PBM Chamber, Model 03.
• Manufacturer: Hue Light USA, New York, USA. Device type: LED. Number of diodes: 38,880 medical-grade.
• Wavelengths: 530 (green), 660 (red), 850 (near-infrared), 940 nm (infrared).
• Irradiance: 17–25 mW/cm².
• Mode: continuous wave and pulsed (Nogier Frequencies, 1–5000 Hz).
• Spot size: whole-body chamber (full-body exposure including abdominal region).
• Treatment time: 20 minutes, single session. Total dose in 10 min: 50 J/cm². FDA registered. 

Parameters provided by manufacturer. Supporting clinical evidence is drawn from a pilot RCT (NCT07271927) at Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital (Korea), approved by Korean MFDS (No. 1730, May 2024) and IRB No. 23-2024-005: 14 PD patients, 10 weeks, 3×/week, 30 sessions × 20 minutes.

Results: Pilot RCT results demonstrated statistically significant improvements in UPDRS Part I (mentation/behavior/mood, p = 0.008, r = −0.71), Seoul Verbal Learning Test immediate recall (p = 0.009), and Rey Complex Figure Test immediate (p = 0.035) and delayed recall (p = 0.039). Motor scores were maintained. Zero serious adverse events. Natural deep sleep onset observed at 7–10 minutes. The live demonstration is expected to show acute HRV increase, stress index decrease, improved vascular compliance, and increased prefrontal oxygenation — confirming simultaneous network activation.

Conclusions: WB-PBM simultaneously engages the gut–brain axis, glymphatic clearance, and systemic inflammation resolution — a network solution for a network problem. Clinical evidence from PD provides proof-of-mechanism; the broader implication is a preventive intervention applicable before established pathology. This workshop equips practitioners with mechanistic understanding and real-time physiological evidence to integrate WB-PBM into prevention-oriented clinical practice.

Declaration Statement: The pilot RCT received IRB approval (No. 23-2024-005) and Korean MFDS regulatory approval (No. 1730). Informed patient consent was obtained. The presenter discloses a consulting relationship with BrainTap and commercial involvement with BioTekna assessment devices.

Disclosure Statement: Assessment equipment (PPG Stress Flow) provided by BioTekna. WB-PBM device provided by Hue Light USA. No external funding was received for this workshop.

Learning Objectives:

• Explain the mechanistic rationale for whole-body PBM as a simultaneous intervention targeting the gut-brain axis, glymphatic system, and systemic inflammation in neurodegeneration prevention.
• Interpret real-time PPG-based HRV and HEG-based prefrontal cortex assessment data to evaluate acute physiological responses to whole-body PBM.
• Appraise the clinical evidence from the first pilot RCT of whole-body PBM in Parkinson's disease and apply its implications to prevention-orientated practice.