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red light and cerebral blood flow and depression
Red and near infrared photobiomodulation are good for depression? Enhancement of cytochrome C oxidase activity in the mitochondria is addressed in a round about way in the transcranial red light post. Red light may simply improve blood flow to the depressed brain via the release of nitric oxide. Some reports suggest the nitric oxide…
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Red Light and mitocondria
Right light therapy is said to target cytochrome C oxidase, complex IV, of the mitochondria. Most complexes of the mitochondria contain functional groups that absorb one wavelength of visible light or another. Absorption of light may translate into increased membrane potential, which translates into more ATP. This post introduces the role of ATP in…
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light and soluble guanylyl cyclase
What happens when to a molecule when it absorbs visible light? A 1999 Scientific American post explored the question of why a brick wall heats up when it absorbs light. Two explanations were given to this seemingly simple lay question: What happens when light strikes an object? Possibility #4 is particularly intriguing because the rate of…