  Alzheimer's disease affects an ever-increasing number of people in the aging
population. Current treatment options are limited to a narrow time frame at the
mild to moderate stage of dementia, and patients are confronted with the
inevitable progression of their disease. Most investigational drugs fail to
prove their efficacy in clinical trials, and there are but a few preventative
measures that one can take. A novel treatment approach, using
photobiomodulation to increase the brain's mitochondrial function and prevent
neuronal apoptosis, has shown promising results in in vitro and in vivo
experiments. This systematic review aims at providing a comprehensive summary
on the available research on photobiomodulation against Alzheimer's disease to
support the translation of this modality from bench to bedside. It shows that
the mechanistic action has been largely understood on a cellular level, safe
and effective doses have been found in animal models, and first human case
studies provide reason to enter large scale clinical trials. A brief outlook on
study design concludes this review and provides a basis for further work on the
topic.
