Current role of magnetic resonance imaging on assessing and monitoring the efficacy of phototherapy.

Phototherapy, also known as photobiological therapy, is a non-invasive and highly effective physical treatment method. Its broad use in clinics has led to significant therapeutic results. Phototherapy parameters, such as intensity, wavelength, and duration, can be adjusted to create specific therapeutic effects for various medical conditions. Meanwhile, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), with its diverse imaging sequences and excellent soft-tissue contrast, provides a valuable tool to understand the therapeutic effects and mechanisms of phototherapy. This review explores the clinical applications of commonly used phototherapy techniques, gives a brief overview of how phototherapy impacts different diseases, and examines MRI's role in various phototherapeutic scenarios. We argue that MRI is crucial for precise targeting, treatment monitoring, and prognosis assessment in phototherapy. Future research and applications will focus on personalized diagnosis and monitoring of phototherapy, expanding its applications in treatment and exploring multimodal imaging technology to enhance diagnostic and therapeutic precision and effectiveness.

Long-term exposure to ELF-MF ameliorates cognitive deficits and attenuates tau hyperphosphorylation in 3xTg AD mice.

Although numerous studies have reported the influence of extremely low frequency magnetic field (ELF-MF) exposure on human health, its effects on cognitive deficits in Alzheimer's disease (AD) have remained under debate. Moreover, the influence of ELF-MF on hyperphosphorylated tau, which is one of the most common pathological hallmarks of AD, has not been reported to date. Therefore, transgenic mice (3xTg) were used in the present study. 3xTg mice, which express an APP/PS1 mutation combined with a tau (P301L) mutation and that develop cognitive deficits at 6 months of age, were subjected to ELF-MF (50Hz, 500µT) exposure or sham exposure daily for 3 months. We discovered that ELF-MF exposure ameliorated cognitive deficits and increased synaptic proteins in 3xTg mice. The protective effects of ELF-MF exposure may have also been caused by the inhibition of apoptosis and/or decreased oxidative stress levels that were observed in the hippocampus tissues of treated mice. Furthermore, tau hyperphosphorylation was decreased in vivo because of ELF-MF exposure, and this decrease was induced by the inhibition of GSK3ß and CDK5 activities and activation of PP2Ac. We are the first to report that exposure to ELF-MF can attenuate tau phosphorylation. These findings suggest that ELF-MF exposure could act as a valid therapeutic strategy for ameliorating cognitive deficits and attenuating tau hyperphosphorylation in AD.