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.

Photobiomodulation is often delivered as an episodic in-clinic treatment, yet many applications depend on appropriate dose, treatment frequency, and consistency over time. This workshop explores how wearable PBM, digital health, and remote monitoring can extend treatment beyond the clinic while maintaining clinician oversight and continuity of care. 

Faculty will examine the scientific basis for consistent PBM dosing, including wavelength, timing, treatment frequency, and repeated exposure. Discussion of mitochondrial metabolism and cellular response, together with antimicrobial and antiviral photobiology, will illustrate how biological mechanisms can inform dosing strategy and treatment design. 

Selected applications in musculoskeletal care, postoperative rehabilitation, TMJ/TMD, and head and neck conditions will demonstrate how treatment can continue between visits while remaining integrated with the clinician’s plan of care. 

The workshop will also introduce Remote Therapeutic Monitoring—a digital health framework that enables clinicians to review treatment use, monitor patient response, communicate with patients, and support care delivered between visits. Participants will see how wearable therapy, treatment-use data, clinician reassessment, and remote monitoring can create a connected treatment pathway rather than a series of isolated visits. 

Hands-on demonstrations will show how wearable PBM and digital monitoring can extend clinician-directed care beyond the clinic while creating new opportunities for practice growth and reimbursable care. 

Learning Objectives:

• Explain how PBM dose, timing, treatment frequency, and consistency influence biological and clinical response, including mitochondrial and antimicrobial photobiology.
• Describe how wearable PBM and digital health technologies can extend clinician-directed treatment beyond the clinic while maintaining continuity of care.
• Explain how treatment-use data, clinician reassessment, and Remote Therapeutic Monitoring can connect treatment between visits with an ongoing clinical plan of care while creating opportunities for reimbursable services and practice growth.