Light therapy device for the treatment of mental disorders including depression

Abstract

The present application relates to a light treatment device for treating mental diseases including depression, comprising a cover configured to accommodate the head of a patient, and an array of near-infrared irradiation units arranged in the cover, the array of near-infrared irradiation units being configured to emit near-infrared light with a first central wavelength of 800nm-820nm and an average power density greater than 40mW / cm 2 2 to the head of the patient, and at least in the case of treating depression, the average power density of the near-infrared light emitted to the frontal lobe and temporal lobe of the head is 80mW / cm 2 2-200mW / cm 2 2. The light treatment device further comprises a cooling mechanism comprising a refrigerating machine and a passage for delivering the cold air generated by the refrigerating machine to the head of the patient to dissipate heat from the head of the patient. The light treatment device of the present application can improve the comfort of the patient, improve the treatment compliance of the patient, prolong the single treatment time, and ensure good treatment effect on mental diseases such as depression.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of medical equipment, and more particularly, to a light therapy device for treating mental diseases including depression. BACKGROUND

[0002] Epidemiological surveys show that the incidence of mental diseases in modern society is on the rise, among which depression is one of the most common mental diseases, with continuous and long-term low mood as the main clinical feature, and may be accompanied by chest tightness, shortness of breath and other somatization symptoms. Severe cases may have symptoms such as auditory hallucinations, persecutory delusions, and multiple personality disorders. In addition, depression has a long duration of each episode, and most cases have a tendency to relapse, which has brought a heavy burden to individuals, families and society.

[0003] For depression, in addition to drug treatment and psychological treatment, physical treatment methods are also increasingly entering the research and experimental stage, such as modified electroconvulsive therapy (MECT), repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and vagus nerve stimulation (VNS), etc. However, these physical treatment methods have certain defects, for example, MECT has a temporary impairment of memory, the efficacy maintenance time of rTMS is relatively short, and there is a risk of inducing epilepsy, and VNS is an invasive treatment that requires the implantation of a stimulator, and all of the above methods require the assistance of professionals, which limits their further application. Compared with electromagnetic stimulation, light therapy has the advantages of high safety, low risk and easy operation. Therefore, in recent years, domestic and foreign frontiers have also begun to conduct research on the use of near-infrared light to treat depression and other mental diseases. Although there are some research results, there are few clinical results with human subjects, especially the lack of data on the corresponding relationship between specific treatment parameters such as wavelength, power, irradiation site and treatment effect.

[0004] At present, there are few light therapy devices for depression on the market, and the average power density of the near-infrared light of the light therapy device in the prior art is low, and the energy deposition of the near-infrared light on the brain tissue after penetrating the skull is less, making it difficult to achieve good light therapy effect, and the comfort of the device is poor, and the experience of the patient is also poor.

[0005] In addition, near-infrared light can also be used to treat autism, bipolar disorder, manic depression and other mental diseases, and there have been a few related reports at home and abroad. SUMMARY

[0006] The present application is provided to solve the above problems in the prior art. There is a need for a light therapy device for treating mental diseases including depression, which can effectively treat mental diseases such as depression, improve patient comfort, improve patient treatment compliance, prolong single treatment time, and ensure good treatment effect on mental diseases such as depression.

[0007] According to a first aspect of the present application, a light therapy device for treating mental diseases including depression is provided, comprising a cover configured to accommodate the head of a patient; an array of near-infrared irradiation units arranged in the cover, the array of near-infrared irradiation units being configured to emit near-infrared light with an average power density greater than 40 mW / cm 2 2 to the head of the patient, at least in the case of treating depression, the average power density of the near-infrared light emitted to the frontal lobe and temporal lobe of the head is 80 mW / cm 2 2-200 mW / cm 2 ; and a cooling mechanism comprising a refrigeration machine and a passage for delivering cold air generated by the refrigeration machine to the head of the patient to dissipate heat from the head of the patient.

[0008] With the light therapy device for treating mental diseases including depression according to various embodiments of the present application, high average power density is used to effectively treat mental diseases such as depression, and the cooling mechanism is used to dissipate heat from the head of the patient, which can improve patient comfort, improve patient treatment compliance, prolong single treatment time, and ensure good treatment effect on mental diseases such as depression. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0009] In the drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, like numerals can describe similar components throughout the several views. The drawings are intended to illustrate various embodiments of the application, and are not intended to limit the same. Where appropriate, like reference numbers can designate like parts throughout the several views. Such embodiments are illustrative, and not intended to be exhaustive or limiting of the present devices or methods.

[0010] FIG. 1(a) shows a schematic diagram of the configuration of a light therapy device for mental diseases including depression according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0011] FIG. 1(b) shows a schematic diagram of the configuration of an array of near-infrared irradiation units in a cover of a light therapy device for treating mental diseases including depression;

[0012] FIG. 1(c) shows a schematic diagram of another head cap of a light therapy device for treating mental diseases including depression;

[0013] FIG. 2(a) shows a comparison chart of energy deposition conditions of different wavelengths of near-infrared light irradiating the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) of people of different ages according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0014] FIG. 2(b) shows a comparison chart of energy deposition conditions of different wavelengths of near-infrared light irradiating the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) of people of different ages according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0015] Figure 3 FIG. 3 shows a graph of absorption curves of different wavelengths of near-infrared light in water, deoxyhemoglobin and oxyhemoglobin according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0016] Figure 4 FIG. 4 shows a distribution diagram of various brain regions of the whole brain of a patient according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0017] Figure 5 FIG. 5 shows a side view of a headgear of a light therapy device for treating mental diseases including depression according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0018] Figure 6 FIG. 6 shows a general configuration diagram of a light therapy device for treating mental diseases including depression according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0019] Figure 7 FIG. 7 shows a diagram of power changes of alpha waves in the brain electrical signals of a patient with depression before and after light therapy on the patient with the light therapy device according to an embodiment of the present application; and

[0020] Figure 8 FIG. 8 shows a comparison chart of scores using different depression assessment scales before and after light therapy on a patient with depression using the light therapy device according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] In order for those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions of the present application, the present application will be described in detail below in conjunction with the drawings and specific embodiments. The embodiments of the present application will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the drawings and specific embodiments, but not as a limitation on the present application. The order described herein as an example for each step should not be considered as a limitation, and those skilled in the art should know that the order can be adjusted, as long as it does not destroy the logic between them and leads to the failure of the whole process.

[0022] The terms "first", "second", and similar terms used herein do not denote any order, quantity, or importance, but are used to distinguish one element from another. The terms "comprise", "include" and similar terms used herein mean that the elements before the term encompass the elements listed after the term, and do not exclude the possibility of also encompassing other elements. The term "head" used herein means the organs above the neck (cervical vertebra) of the human body, including the brain and extracerebral tissues such as the skull, skin, and hair. The term "brain" used herein means the organs left after removing extracerebral tissues, and is intended to mean the brain, but is not limited thereto, and can also include the cerebellum and brainstem.

[0023] The research team of the present applicant has conducted in-depth research on the treatment of mental diseases including depression and light therapy devices, and has conducted a large number of simulation experiments and clinical experiments, not only demonstrating the theoretical and factual feasibility of light therapy devices for mental diseases including depression, but also paying attention to and conducting in-depth research on the special psychological and physiological needs of patients with mental diseases including depression in clinical experiments for patients with various courses of mental diseases including depression. The present application proposes a light therapy device for treating mental diseases including depression, which not only can effectively treat mental diseases such as depression, but also can significantly improve the comfort of patients and prolong the duration of a single treatment to ensure good treatment effect for mental diseases including depression.

[0024] Figures 1(a) and 1(b) respectively show a schematic diagram of the configuration of a light therapy device for treating mental diseases including depression and a schematic diagram of the configuration of an array of near-infrared irradiation units in a cover of a light therapy device for treating mental diseases including depression according to embodiments of the present application. As shown in Figure 1(a), the light therapy device includes a headgear having a cover 1 capable of accommodating the head of a patient, and as shown in Figure 1(b), the light therapy device further includes an array of near-infrared irradiation units 2 disposed in the cover 1. As an example, as shown in Figure 1(b), each near-infrared irradiation unit 2 can include a plurality of near-infrared light-emitting diodes 2a. In some embodiments, each near-infrared irradiation unit 2 can include a single near-infrared light-emitting diode 2a. The array of near-infrared irradiation units 2 is configured to emit near-infrared light with an average power density greater than 40 mW / cm 2 Research shows that the frontal and temporal lobes of patients with depression often have abnormalities in structure, function, and connectivity to varying degrees, and the inventors have confirmed through clinical experimental research that, under the condition of ensuring safety and patient comfort, treating mental diseases such as depression with a higher average power density can bring better treatment effect. Therefore, at least in the case of treating depression, it can emit a higher average power density such as 80 mW / cm 2 -200 mW / cm2 It can be understood that the term "average power density" used in the present application represents the energy of the near-infrared light irradiated on a unit area per unit time.

[0025] It should be noted that the brain region associated with a specific mental disease can be a lesioned brain region that directly causes the patient to have the mental disease, can be a related brain region that is prone to cause the mental disease, or can be a brain region adjacent to the lesioned or related brain region or having a strong brain function connection, that is, the associated brain region is the object of light therapy for the mental disease, and can also be referred to as a target brain region corresponding to the mental disease.

[0026] In some embodiments, the array of the near-infrared irradiation units 2 includes groups of near-infrared irradiation units arranged corresponding to respective brain regions of the head, for example, each group of near-infrared irradiation units can be composed of a plurality of near-infrared light-emitting diodes 2a. In some embodiments, the brain regions can be divided according to frontal lobe, temporal lobe, parietal lobe, occipital lobe, etc., can be further divided in a more detailed manner such as left frontal lobe, right frontal lobe, left temporal lobe, right temporal lobe, left parietal lobe, right parietal lobe, left occipital lobe, right occipital lobe, hippocampus, amygdala, corpus callosum, etc., or can be divided according to actual needs of light therapy, which is not limited in the present application. In some embodiments, in the case of treating depression, whole brain irradiation can be implemented, and the frontal lobe and the temporal lobe can be irradiated with emphasis, for example, the average power density of the near-infrared light emitted by the groups of near-infrared irradiation units corresponding to the frontal lobe and the temporal lobe is higher than the average power density of the near-infrared light emitted by the groups of near-infrared irradiation units corresponding to other brain regions, so as to ensure the pertinence of the treatment of depression and good treatment effect. In other embodiments, only the target brain regions having a closer association with depression can be irradiated, for example, only the near-infrared light emitted by the groups of near-infrared irradiation units corresponding to the frontal lobe and the temporal lobe is used to irradiate the frontal lobe and the temporal lobe with high average power density, and the light therapy device shown in FIG. 1(a) and FIG. 1(b) is used to irradiate the frontal lobe and the temporal lobe.

[0027] In the case of treating depression, the array of the near-infrared irradiation units 2 is configured to emit near-infrared light to at least part of the nodes of a brain network, the brain network at least including at least one of a default network, a salience network, and a central executive network. It can be understood that the brain network can include a plurality of nodes with brain regions as nodes, each node corresponding to a different brain region, or a plurality of nodes can be arranged on one brain region, and the node pairs have functional connections, and the functional connection strength between the node pairs can be used to represent the cooperation, information transmission, etc. between brain regions.

[0028] Specifically, the research proves that the default network, the salience network and the central executive network are all associated with the development of depression. The default network is responsible for the individual's episodic memory, consciousness and perception, etc., and is also responsible for monitoring the surrounding environment and processing the individual's self-referential thinking, etc. Compared with healthy people, the functional connection strength between the cingulate cortex and / or precuneus in the default network of the depression patients and other brain regions is significantly reduced, so the array of the near-infrared irradiation units 2 can be configured to emit near-infrared light to the nodes in the node pair of the default network whose functional connection strength is lower than a first predetermined level, so as to improve the patient's memory, perception and other abilities.

[0029] The nodes of the salience network mainly include several brain regions such as the frontal lobe, insular cortex, dorsal anterior cingulate gyrus, amygdala and temporal pole, and have the ability to integrate and extract information. The reduction of information integration and subjective transformation ability of depression patients is closely related to the abnormality of the salience network. Studies have shown that the gray matter of the amygdala of depression patients is reduced compared with healthy people, and in the case that the node of the salience network includes the amygdala, the array of the near-infrared irradiation units is configured to emit near-infrared light to the nodes in the node pair of the salience network whose functional connection strength is lower than a second predetermined level, which helps to improve the information integration and subjective transformation ability of depression patients and can improve the treatment effect of the light treatment equipment on depression.

[0030] The nodes of the central executive network mainly include brain regions such as the prefrontal lobe and the posterior parietal lobe, and studies have shown that the functional connection strength between some node pairs in the central executive network of depression patients will be enhanced, for example, the angular gyrus and the posterior central gyrus, while the functional connection between some node pairs will be weakened. In the case of treating depression, the array of the near-infrared irradiation units is configured to emit near-infrared light to the node pairs in the central executive network whose functional connection strength is lower than a third predetermined level and / or higher than a fourth predetermined level, which can improve the task processing and decision-making ability of depression patients.

[0031] In some embodiments, the light treatment equipment including the groups of near-infrared irradiation units arranged corresponding to various brain regions of the head can also be used to treat autism. In various age groups of autism patients, their frontal lobe, temporal lobe, hippocampus, amygdala, corpus callosum, etc. often have different degrees of abnormalities in structure, function and connection, etc., and similar to the treatment of depression, the treatment of autism also requires a relatively high average power density, and even a higher average power density is needed to irradiate the brain regions associated with autism in order to achieve a better treatment effect. Therefore, in the case of treating autism, the light treatment equipment of the present application can make the average power density of the near-infrared light emitted by the group of near-infrared irradiation units corresponding to the brain regions associated with autism be 100mW / cm 2 -200mW / cm 2. Wherein the brain regions associated with autism include at least one of frontal lobe, temporal lobe, hippocampus, amygdala, and corpus callosum, and thus, when the light therapy device is used to perform light therapy on such autism patients, the average power density of the near-infrared light emitted by the near-infrared irradiation unit group corresponding to one or more brain regions of the frontal lobe, temporal lobe, hippocampus, amygdala, and corpus callosum can be 100 mW / cm 2 -200 mW / cm 2 . In other embodiments, the brain regions associated with autism can be determined according to brain function imaging and / or brain structure imaging of the patient's head, or according to the subtypes of autism, and then, the near-infrared irradiation unit group corresponding to the associated brain region is used to emit near-infrared light with an average power density of 100 mW / cm 2 -200 mW / cm 2 , for example, the near-infrared irradiation unit group emits near-infrared light with an average power density of 100 mW / cm 2 -200 mW / cm 2 to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, in order to achieve a more precise light therapy effect on autism patients.

[0032] In some embodiments, when treating autism with a light therapy device, the local target of autism can also be treated based on the brain network related to autism, for example, the array of near-infrared irradiation units 2 is configured to emit near-infrared light to at least part of the nodes of the brain network, wherein the nodes of the brain network at least include the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the amygdala, wherein the amygdala is highly related to the development of autism, but the amygdala belongs to deep nuclear groups and is not easy to be irradiated by near-infrared light, but the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex is relatively easy to be irradiated by near-infrared light compared to the amygdala, and there is a certain functional connection between the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the amygdala, therefore, the irradiation position and / or the preset average power density can be determined based on the functional connection strength between the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the amygdala, by irradiating the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex which is easier to be irradiated and has a certain functional connection with the amygdala with near-infrared light, in order to indirectly act on the amygdala, so that a better light therapy effect on autism can be achieved.

[0033] Specifically, the abnormality of the brain network of autism patients is also related to the age of the patients, and in the process of growing from childhood to adolescence and adulthood, the functional connection strength between some nodes of the brain network will experience a process from "over-connection" to "disconnection", therefore, a more precise treatment plan can be determined according to the age of the autism patients. Therefore, for children with autism, the array of near-infrared irradiation units 2 can be configured to emit near-infrared light to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and / or the amygdala when the functional connection strength between the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the amygdala is higher than the fifth predetermined level.

[0034] For adolescent autism patients and / or adult autism patients, the array of near-infrared irradiation units 2 can be configured to emit near-infrared light to nodes in the brain network whose functional connectivity strength is lower than a sixth predetermined level. Among them, the node pairs of the brain network associated with autism can be frontal lobe-temporal lobe, occipital lobe-temporal lobe, temporal lobe-parietal lobe, etc.

[0035] In some embodiments, the light treatment device according to the present application can also be used to treat bipolar disorder. In the case of treating bipolar disorder, the average power density of the near-infrared light emitted by the group of near-infrared irradiation units corresponding to the brain regions associated with bipolar disorder is 100 mW / cm 2 -200 mW / cm 2 The brain regions associated with bipolar disorder can include frontal lobe and limbic brain regions, such as ventral lateral prefrontal cortex, dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex, intraparietal sulcus, etc.

[0036] It can be understood that, unlike other mental diseases, bipolar disorder has different stages, including depressive and manic stages, and the abnormal conditions of the brain network will also be different when the patient is in different stages, such as targeted light irradiation treatment for the abnormal conditions of the brain network in different stages can achieve more precise treatment of bipolar disorder. Studies have shown that the abnormalities of the default network and the sensorimotor network (including brain regions such as primary motor cortex, cingulate cortex, premotor cortex, supplementary motor area, etc.) are highly related to the development of bipolar disorder.

[0037] Therefore, in some embodiments, in the case of treating bipolar disorder, the array of near-infrared irradiation units 2 can be configured to emit near-infrared light to at least part of the nodes of at least one of the default network and the sensorimotor network. Specifically, when the bipolar disorder patient is in the depressive stage, the array of near-infrared irradiation units 2 can be configured to emit near-infrared light to nodes in the node pair of the brain network whose functional connectivity strength is lower than a seventh predetermined level; and / or when the bipolar disorder patient is in the manic stage, to emit near-infrared light to nodes in the node pair of the brain network whose functional connectivity strength is higher than an eighth predetermined level. In this way, precise treatment of bipolar disorder can be achieved.

[0038] It can be understood that the values or ranges of the predetermined levels related to the functional connection strength, such as the first predetermined level, the second predetermined level, etc. used in the present application can be the same or different for the same mental illness or different mental illnesses, and can be determined according to clinical verification results. For example, for autism patients, since the functional connection strength between the node pairs of the brain network will experience a process from “over-connection” to “disconnection” as they grow from children to teenagers and adults, the fifth predetermined level can be set to a higher value of the functional connection strength between the nodes of the brain network of a healthy person, and the sixth predetermined level can be set to be much lower than the functional connection strength between the nodes of the brain network of a healthy person. Even for adult autism patients who have lost connection between nodes, the sixth predetermined level can be set to 0.

[0039] It can be understood that when the brain network is used to implement precise light therapy for mental illnesses such as depression, autism, bipolar disorder, etc., the irradiation parameters of near-infrared light can be specifically set according to the type of disease, the degree of illness, the functional connection between the nodes of the brain network, etc., which are not limited in the present application. The irradiation parameters can include average power density, pulse frequency, etc.

[0040] In some embodiments, the cover 1 can accommodate the patient's head in a loose manner, so that the head can rotate within a predetermined angle range and move up and down within a predetermined distance range during treatment. Unlike the cover 1 that is adapted to the shape of the patient's head, a gap of a few centimeters, preferably 1-2 cm, is left between the cover 1 and the patient's head, so that the patient can move his head within the predetermined angle range and distance range according to his own will. This open and loose design of the cover 1 does not constrain the patient's head, so that the patient's comfort during treatment is higher, and there is a certain space between the cover 1 and the patient's head for cold air diffusion, which avoids the discomfort caused by the cold air directly hitting the head, and can expand the cooling area and improve the uniform cooling effect.

[0041] And, this open and loose cover 1 design is particularly friendly to patients with mental illness, especially those with depression who are easily triggered by the external environment to cause emotional or illness fluctuations, or those with claustrophobia and the elderly, thereby significantly improving the treatment compliance of patients with mental illness including depression, especially the elderly. Specifically, the light therapy device can be used to treat patients with mental illness including depression and psychological barriers to closed or crowded spaces, and this psychological barrier to closed or crowded spaces itself also belongs to the category of mental illness, and the light therapy device of the cover 1 will not induce the patient's mental barrier or mental illness condition to worsen, thereby not affecting the treatment of their mental illness such as depression. This design of the cover 1 can also be widely applicable to the behavioral characteristics of patients at different stages of mental illness including depression. For example, for patients with mild or moderate depression, the mood is low and may be accompanied by somatization symptoms such as chest tightness and shortness of breath, and the wearing of this cover 1 with sufficient freedom and openness is easily accepted by the patient and is not easily irritated, allowing the patient to cooperate with the continuous progress of light therapy without exacerbating the patient's somatization symptoms. For example, for patients with severe depression, the mood fluctuates dramatically, and severe patients may have auditory hallucinations, persecutory delusions, multiple personality disorders, and other symptoms of schizophrenia. In this case, it is difficult for the patient to maintain a stationary posture, and this loose cover 1 allows the patient's head to move a certain amplitude without causing the cover 1 itself to oscillate. Therefore, without forcibly stopping the patient's small amplitude shaking, the patient's comfort is increased and the workload of medical staff is reduced, while at the same time, the patient's head shaking is avoided from being transmitted to the cover 1 to affect the light therapy effect. Therefore, the light therapy device can be used to treat patients at various stages of development of mental illness including depression.

[0042] The loose design of the cover 1 allows patients with various stages of mental illness including depression to be more willing to accept treatment, and single irradiation can also be maintained for a longer period of time, such as 20 minutes, 30 minutes, or even longer each time, thereby further improving the treatment effect.

[0043] In some other embodiments, for example, in the case that the light treatment subject is relatively young and has no psychological barriers to closed or crowded spaces, another headgear for a light treatment device for treating mental diseases including depression as shown in Fig. 1(c) can be used. The headgear 100 of the light treatment device as shown in Fig. 1(c) comprises a cover 101, a head tightening device 102, and a light shielding member 103. The cover 101 is provided with an array of near-infrared irradiation units (not shown) for transmitting near-infrared light to the head. The head tightening device 102 is provided at the inner lower part of the cover 101, and comprises a sleeve head 1021 and an adjusting member 1022 for tightening the sleeve head 1021 to the head. The light shielding member 103 is at least partially arranged in the gap between the sleeve head 1021 and the inner side of the cover 101, and extends downward so that its lower side is above the lower side of the sleeve head 1021 to shield the leaked near-infrared light. In some embodiments, the inner lower part of the cover 101 corresponding to the part where the head tightening device 102 is arranged can be provided with a mounting layer, which facilitates the mounting of the head tightening device 102. For example, the mounting layer can be configured as a Velcro layer, or a cloth layer that can be connected to the head tightening device 102 by sewing. Specifically, the sleeve head 1021 can be annular in shape and is sleeved on the head, and the sleeve head 1021 is provided with a through slot corresponding to the inner side of the cover 101, which allows the light emitted by the array of near-infrared irradiation units to be directly transmitted to the head, avoiding interference of the structure of the sleeve head 1021 with the light emitted by the array of near-infrared irradiation units. Specifically, the adjusting member 1022 can tighten the sleeve head 1021 to the head, and can also keep the sleeve head 1021 in a fastened state on the head after the sleeve head 1021 is tightened to the head. In this way, a stable relative positional relationship between the headgear 100 and the head can be ensured, and the headgear 100 can be adapted to the head shape of different users by adjusting the adjusting member 1022, thereby increasing the adaptability of the headgear 100. For example, the light shielding member 103 can be made of an elastic material, and the shape of the light shielding member 103 can be adapted to the shape of the head. The head tightening device 102 can stably sleeve the cover 101 on the head, and the headgear 100 can follow the movement of the head within a predetermined range, so that the headgear 100 and the head can maintain a stable relative positional relationship, and the light emitting area of the array of near-infrared irradiation units arranged on the headgear 100 and the target brain region will not be misaligned, thereby ensuring a better treatment effect. The light shielding member 103 arranged in the gap between the sleeve head 1021 and the inner side of the cover 101 can effectively prevent the near-infrared light from leaking out between the headgear 100 and the head, and in combination with the arrangement of the light shielding member 103, a better light leakage prevention effect can be achieved, thereby preventing the near-infrared light from leaking out between the headgear 100 and the head tightening device 102 and causing harm to the human body, and the safety is higher.

[0044] In addition, the headgear 100 further comprises a chin tightening device 105 connected to the lower part of the cover body 101, the chin tightening device 105 comprising a chin strap 1051 connected to the lower part of the cover body 101 and a tightening member arranged on the chin strap 1051. The headgear 100 can keep a certain interval between the cover body 101 and the head when in use, and by arranging the chin tightening device 105, the headgear 100 can stably move downward with the head when the head moves downward, so that the head is further stably worn on the head, the headgear 100 can better follow the head, and the use experience of the patient can be improved, especially more welcomed by young patients (for example, young patients with depression) or patients who have no requirement for restraint. The other components of the headgear 100 in FIG. 1(c), such as the array of near-infrared irradiation units, the cooling mechanism, and the like, are similar to the components corresponding to the cover body 1 in FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b), and are not described here.

[0045] It is found that, for the treatment of mental diseases including depression, the near-infrared light with the first center wavelength of 800-820 nm is the key wavelength, which is the most suitable and effective.

[0046] FIG. 2(a) shows a comparison chart of energy deposition conditions of near-infrared light of various wavelengths irradiating the dlPFC of people of different ages according to an embodiment of the present application, and FIG. 2(b) shows a comparison chart of energy deposition conditions of near-infrared light of various wavelengths irradiating the vmPFC of people of different ages according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIGS. 2(a) and 2(b), for the energy deposition conditions of the dlPFC and vmPFC of different age ranges, the center wavelength of 810 nm is better than that of 670 nm, 850 nm, 980 nm and 1064 nm. The energy deposition conditions of the near-infrared light with the center wavelength of 800-820 nm and other single wavelengths are also better than those of 670 nm, 850 nm, 980 nm and 1064 nm.

[0047] The near-infrared irradiation unit 2 of the embodiment of the present application uses near-infrared light with a first central wavelength of 800-820 nm for irradiation, which can obtain better energy deposition compared with the peripheral wavelength range (for example, 630-750 nm) in which the central wavelength 670 nm is located, or the peripheral wavelength range (for example, 900-1020 nm) in which the central wavelength 980 nm is located, so as to achieve a better treatment effect. Preferably, the first central wavelength used by the near-infrared irradiation unit 2 of the embodiment of the present application is 810 nm. The absorption effect of oxyhemoglobin and deoxyhemoglobin is better when using a single wavelength of about 810 nm for irradiation, and the treatment effect is also better. The array cost of the near-infrared irradiation unit 2 of the same wavelength range is lower, and the control is also more convenient.

[0048] Figure 3 A graph showing the absorption curves of different wavelengths of near-infrared light in water, deoxyhemoglobin and oxyhemoglobin protein according to the embodiment of the present application is shown. As shown in Figure 3 , when the wavelength of 950-1000 nm is used, the absorption rate of near-infrared light in water is very high, but the absorption rate in deoxyhemoglobin is very low, which is much lower than the absorption rate of near-infrared light with a wavelength of about 810 nm in deoxyhemoglobin. It can also be seen from Figure 3 that the absorption rate of near-infrared light with a wavelength of 800-820 nm in deoxyhemoglobin and oxyhemoglobin is relatively balanced and significantly higher than that in water.

[0049] In the light treatment device of the embodiment of the present application, the array of the near-infrared irradiation unit 2 is configured to emit near-infrared light with a central wavelength of 800-820 nm and an average power density greater than 40 mW / cm 2 to the head of the patient, so that sufficient light energy enters the brain. Furthermore, in the light treatment device of the embodiment of the present application, the cover 1 does not adopt an adaptive design, but adopts a loose design in which the head can move freely in the accommodation space. The gap between the cover 1 and the head also causes scattering of the near-infrared light. The superposition of the scattering of the near-infrared light can make the average power density on each brain region position higher, further meeting the requirement of increasing the average power density, and further meeting the requirement of higher average power density on each brain region.

[0050] The inventors found through simulation experiments and clinical experiments that for the light treatment device of the embodiment of the present application which adopts a loose design, the average power density of greater than 40 mW / cm 2 for the single wavelength of near-infrared light with a central wavelength of 800-820 nm can also ensure that sufficient light energy enters the brain tissue of patients of various ages suffering from psychological diseases such as depression, and ensure a good treatment effect. Specifically, the average power density used can be 40 mW / cm2 - 200 mW / cm 2 , for example 70 mW / cm 2 , 80 mW / cm 2 , 90 mW / cm 2 , 100 mW / cm 2 , 120 mW / cm 2 , 200 mW / cm 2 , etc. The frontal lobe is the brain region most associated with depression, followed by the temporal lobe, and therefore, at least in the case of treating depression, it is preferable to emit near-infrared light having an average power density of 80 mW / cm 2 - 200 mW / cm 2 to the frontal lobe of the head. In another embodiment, it is also possible to emit near-infrared light having an average power density of 80 mW / cm 2 - 200 mW / cm 2 to the frontal lobe and the temporal lobe together to achieve better phototherapeutic effects on depression.

[0051] An average power density of more than 40 mW / cm 2 , even if the air volume is increased, the patient still feels a warm sensation near the scalp, and even an unbearable hot sensation, so that the patient cannot endure continuous treatment, and the large air volume also causes discomfort to the patient's head. For some types of irradiation treatment, for example, for brain regions of interest, such as the frontal lobe and the temporal lobe, the required average power density is even higher, for example, 80 mW / cm 2 , and even 200 mW / cm 2 . By irradiating cortical cells in vitro with near-infrared light, it has been confirmed that the array of near-infrared irradiation units 2 can be configured to emit near-infrared light having an average power density of less than 250 mW / cm 2 to the patient's head, which range of average power density can avoid the risk of thermal damage and avoid inhibition and mitochondrial damage.

[0052] In some embodiments, the required average power density of the near-infrared light used can be determined and adjusted according to the attributes and parameters of the patient. For example, the average power density is determined according to the light transmittance of the extracerebral tissue of the patient, so that the average power density of a patient with low light transmittance of extracerebral tissue is higher than that of a patient with high light transmittance of extracerebral tissue.

[0053] Considering the mental illness patients of various age groups, such as elderly patients with depression, children with autism, etc., the sensitivity of various age groups and different mental illness patients to temperature and pain should be fully considered, and a more comfortable treatment environment that will not cause pain or even thermal damage is provided for mental illness patients, which helps to prolong the treatment time, so as to achieve better treatment effect.

[0054] In other embodiments, the near-infrared light can also be near-infrared light of several wavelengths, which can include the first central wavelength as the main central wavelength, and on the basis of including the first central wavelength, the second central wavelength and / or the third central wavelength can be included as auxiliary central wavelengths, wherein the second central wavelength ranges from 600nm to 700nm, preferably the second central wavelength is 633nm or 660nm, and the third central wavelength ranges from 850nm to 1100nm, preferably the third central wavelength is 980nm or 1064nm. Studies have shown that near-infrared light in the second central wavelength range, such as 670nm, has a protective effect on nerves, and 660nm near-infrared light irradiation can reduce stress-induced pro-apoptotic response by down-regulating the ratio of Bcl-2 Associated X Protein (Bax) and B-cell lymphoma-2 protein (Bcl-2). And cytoplasm / microsome CCO (cytochrome c oxidase). The third central wavelength range of near-infrared light can also improve the symptoms of depression combined with anxiety symptoms, and can also promote the improvement of memory. The combination of near-infrared light of the second central wavelength / third central wavelength and near-infrared light of the first central wavelength can also increase the efficacy of mental illness such as depression, for example, 1064nm near-infrared light irradiation can increase attention by increasing the activity of CCO in mitochondria, which is not listed here.

[0055] In the case of simultaneous application of several wavelengths including the main central wavelength and the auxiliary central wavelength described above, for example, the average power density of the near-infrared light of the main central wavelength can be set to be more than 2 times the average power density of the auxiliary central wavelength, so as to ensure that the near-infrared light of the main central wavelength has sufficient average power density under the condition of constant total energy.

[0056] In other embodiments, in the case of simultaneous application of several wavelengths including the main central wavelength and the auxiliary central wavelength described above, the average power density of the auxiliary central wavelength can also be set to be the same as or similar to the average power density of the near-infrared light of the main central wavelength.

[0057] The light treatment device according to the embodiments of the present application further comprises a cooling mechanism 4 based on the refrigerator 3 to sufficiently cool the patient's head to well solve the above-mentioned problems. Specifically, referring back to Fig. 1(a), as shown in Fig. 1(a), the cooling mechanism 4 comprises the refrigerator 3 and a passage to deliver the cold air generated by the refrigerator 3 to the patient's head. In some embodiments, the cooling mechanism 4 further comprises a cold air transmission inner cavity 5 arranged in the cover 1 adjacent to the array of the near-infrared irradiation units 2 and a passage 7 leading from the cold air transmission inner cavity 5 to the patient's head, and the cooling mechanism 4 is further configured to send the cold air generated by the refrigerator 3 into the cold air transmission inner cavity 5 via a cold air delivery pipeline 12 and blow to the patient's head via the passage 7 to cool the patient's head. In some embodiments, the cold air is gently blown to the patient's head via the passage at a wind speed of 0.5-3.5 m / s, which is comfortable for the patient and can ensure the cooling effect. With such a cooling mechanism 4, the total power of the near-infrared light can be greater than 3 W in the case that the array of the near-infrared irradiation units 2 emits the near-infrared light to the patient's head. In the case of such average power density and total power, the cooling mechanism 4 can still sufficiently cool the patient's head so that the temperature near the patient's scalp is 18-43 degrees Celsius. Specifically, the cooling mechanism 4 can be used to make the head of each patient be in a more comfortable environment according to the type of disease or the age of the patient, for example, for an old depressive patient who is less sensitive to temperature and pain and is afraid of cold, the cooling mechanism 4 can be used to make the temperature near the scalp of such a patient be 25-40 degrees Celsius during the implementation of light treatment; for a young depressive patient or an adult depressive patient who is not so sensitive to temperature and pain, the cooling mechanism 4 can be used to make the temperature near the scalp of such a patient be 18-37 degrees Celsius during the implementation of light treatment; for an autistic child patient who is more sensitive to temperature and pain, the cooling mechanism 4 can be used to make the temperature near the scalp of such a patient be 18-35 degrees Celsius during the implementation of light treatment. In this way, even the patients with psychological diseases who are very sensitive to temperature and have high tolerance can feel more comfortable, so that they can continuously receive treatment. Through the cooling mechanism 4 and the previously described loosely designed cover 1, the patients with psychological diseases such as depression of various courses and various ages can be more willing to receive continuous irradiation treatment, and the single irradiation can be persisted for a longer time (the longer the time, the higher the heat production near the scalp), thereby further improving the treatment effect.

[0058] As an example, the passage 7 can be formed by the cold air transmission inner cavity 5, the air vent hole 6 on the inner side, and the gap between the cover 1 and the patient's head, as shown in FIG. 1(a), but this is only an example, and the cold air delivery pipe can also be led out from the cold air transmission inner cavity 5 and deliver cold air towards the patient's head, which is not described here.

[0059] When the above-mentioned light treatment device is used to treat depression, the forehead and the left and right temporal lobes can be treated, and therefore, the near-infrared irradiation unit groups can be arranged only at the positions corresponding to the forehead and the left and right temporal lobes of the head to treat the forehead and the left and right temporal lobes of the patient. Further, after determining the array mode of the near-infrared irradiation unit groups, the arrangement mode of the air vent hole 6 can be determined according to the array mode of the near-infrared irradiation unit groups, that is, the air outlet position of the cold air is adjusted, so that the air volume and air speed of the cold air discharged by the air vent hole 6 can be more suitable for patients with such diseases.

[0060] The cover 1 has a fixed structure and size to accommodate the patient's head in a loose manner, so that the transverse movable interval of the patient's head during treatment is 1-2 cm. Specifically, the structure of the cover 1 leaves a certain margin, so that when the patient rotates within a predetermined angle range or moves up and down within a predetermined distance range, the cover 1 can still cover the target brain area, for example, for patients with depression, the forehead and the left and right temporal lobes need to be covered, so that the array of the near-infrared irradiation unit 2 (see FIG. 1(a) and FIG. 1(b)) can be used to irradiate the target brain area if necessary. Further, the loose and open design of the cover 1 can be used for patients with individual differences in head shape and size to a certain extent, without the need to customize the cover 1 strictly adapted to the head shape and size of the patient, so that the cover 1 can be standardized, the manufacturing cost is lower, the light treatment device is more suitable for a wider range of patients, and the facility procurement and maintenance cost of the light treatment device in the medical treatment place such as hospital, community, family is reduced. Specifically, the so-called fixed structure and size means that the cover 1 can not be provided with movable components, and can even be integrally molded, thereby increasing the service life of the cover 1 and simplifying the structure of the cover 1.

[0061] Figure 4 A distribution diagram of each brain area of the cerebral cortex of the whole brain of the patient according to the embodiment of the present application is shown. As Figure 4As shown, the main brain regions of the cerebral cortex include the frontal lobe, temporal lobe, parietal lobe, occipital lobe, and cerebellum. The inventors discovered that in treating mental illnesses, including depression, emitting near-infrared light from the array of near-infrared irradiation units 2 simultaneously to the target brain regions of the patient's head, particularly at least to the frontal lobe, temporal lobe, and hippocampus, can achieve better therapeutic effects, as the hippocampus is also associated with the development of depression. In some embodiments, particularly in phototherapy for autistic patients, the array of near-infrared irradiation units 2 can also emit near-infrared light simultaneously to the frontal lobe, temporal lobe, hippocampus, and amygdala. Specifically, the hippocampus, located between the thalamus and the medial temporal lobe, is part of the limbic system and plays a role in short-term memory, long-term memory, and spatial orientation. The amygdala, located in the dorsomedial part of the anterior temporal lobe, slightly anterior to the apex of the hippocampus and the inferior horn of the lateral ventricle, is crucial for fear. Both the hippocampus and amygdala are closely related to a range of mental illnesses, including depression and autism. The temporal lobe's main functions include auditory perception, language reception, visual memory, declarative (real) memory, and emotional control. Specifically, patients with right temporal lobe lesions often lose their understanding of nonverbal auditory stimuli (such as music), while left temporal lobe lesions affect language perception, memory, and organization. The frontal lobe is the physiological basis of the most complex psychological activities, responsible for planning, regulating, and controlling mental activities. It plays a crucial role in higher-level, purposeful behavior, closely related to higher cognitive functions such as attention, memory, and problem-solving, as well as personality development.

[0062] By having the array of near-infrared irradiation units 2 emit near-infrared light simultaneously onto the target brain regions of the patient's head, including at least the frontal lobe, temporal lobe, hippocampus, and amygdala, comprehensive and thorough phototherapy can be achieved for the cortical regions involved in the lesion, thereby obtaining better therapeutic effects (this will be confirmed below with clinical trials and clinical data). In some embodiments, such as irradiating multiple brain regions, the array of near-infrared irradiation units 2 can be configured to emit near-infrared light onto the frontal and temporal lobes with a higher average power density than other brain regions, thereby enhancing the therapeutic effect on the frontal and temporal lobes where the focus is concentrated.

[0063] Figure 5 A side view of a headgear for treating mental illnesses, including depression, according to an embodiment of this application is shown. Figure 5 As shown, the cover 1 can have a left protruding ear and a right protruding ear 8, the left protruding ear being... Figure 5 The left and right protruding auricles are obscured and not shown; in this paper, they are uniformly referred to as 8 in the accompanying drawings. The left and right protruding auricles 8 can respectively cover the left and right temporal lobes of the patient. Each of the left and right protruding auricles is evenly equipped with near-infrared irradiation units 2 (as shown in Figure 1(b)) to emit near-infrared light to the covered temporal lobe region. See also...Figure 4 The temporal lobe extends to the ear, and the left and right protruding ear portions 8 can cover the ear and provide sufficient near-infrared light irradiation.

[0064] In some embodiments, the left and right protruding ear portions 8 can be configured such that the near-infrared irradiation units 2 (as shown in FIG. 1(b)) arranged on the left and right protruding ear portions 8 can still irradiate the temporal lobe of the patient when the head rotates within a preset angle range and moves up and down within a preset distance range during the treatment. Specifically, the left and right protruding ear portions 8 can be designed to extend to the surrounding area of the temporal lobe corresponding to the head, and a margin associated with the preset angle range and the preset distance range is reserved relative to the temporal lobe. In this way, even if the patient rotates or moves due to the activity intention or uncontrollable tremor, the temporal lobe can still be fully irradiated, thereby ensuring the treatment effect.

[0065] The left and right protruding ear portions 8 can extend to the ear of the patient, and in some embodiments, can extend below the ear of the patient. In this way, the near-infrared light emitted by the near-infrared irradiation units 2 arranged on the left and right protruding ear portions 8 can not only thoroughly irradiate the left and right temporal lobes, but also irradiate the hippocampus via the ear canal. Please note that extending along the ear canal from the ear to the deep part can reach the hippocampus and amygdala, and the light transmission distance to the hippocampus and amygdala via the ear canal is much smaller than the light transmission distance from the frontal lobe to the hippocampus and amygdala, and the attenuation of the ear canal to near-infrared light is much smaller than the attenuation of the skull to near-infrared light. In this way, the hippocampus and amygdala located in the deep part of the brain can also be fully irradiated by near-infrared light. The hippocampus is closely related to the development of psychological diseases such as depression and autism. By allowing sufficient near-infrared light energy to reach the frontal lobe and temporal lobe, the hippocampus and amygdala can also be reached, which can significantly improve the function of brain mitochondria and the level of ATP, reduce damage to nerve cells, improve the repair and regeneration ability of nerve tissue, and improve cognitive ability.

[0066] In some embodiments, the cover body 1 comprises a forehead portion 9, and has a curved connection portion 10 between the forehead portion 9 and the left and right protruding ear portions 8, so that the lower edges of the left and right protruding ear portions 8, the forehead portion 9, and the right protruding ear portion 8 are connected in a curve to form an integral whole, thereby completely covering the left and right temporal lobes of the patient. As shown in FIG. 1(a), the left and right protruding ear portions 8 and the forehead portion 9 can be designed to extend to the surrounding area of the temporal lobe corresponding to the head, and a margin associated with the preset angle range and the preset distance range is reserved relative to the temporal lobe. In this way, even if the patient rotates or moves due to the activity intention or uncontrollable tremor, the temporal lobe can still be fully irradiated, thereby ensuring the treatment effect. Figure 4The brain region distribution shown, a part of the temporal lobe near the temple, can be covered by the curved connecting part 10 to provide sufficient near-infrared light irradiation. The inventors found that as the development of mental diseases such as depression, the lesion spreads to all parts of the temporal lobe, and providing careful and sufficient near-infrared light irradiation to all parts can achieve more effective treatment. Sometimes, the specific part of the temporal lobe reached by the lesion cannot be determined without brain function imaging, and the cost of obtaining brain function imaging is high for patients. In addition, the head shape, size, etc. of each patient are different, and when the light treatment device is actually worn, it is difficult for medical staff, patients or other accompanying personnel to accurately determine the position of each brain region from the surface of the head located outside. Therefore, through the combined design of the left and right side ear parts 8 together with the curved connecting part 10, the lesion can be completely covered, thereby achieving more effective treatment, and without the need to distract the attention of the accompanying personnel or the patient himself, the work burden can be reduced.

[0067] In some embodiments, the lower edge of the front part of the cover 1 is gently curved, and the middle part of the lower edge extends downward relative to the two side parts, for guiding the user to wear the lower edge to the brow bone. This curve shape with the middle part lower and the two side parts slightly higher matches the configuration of the brow bone, and according to daily habits (such as the habit of wearing glasses), the user will naturally pull the lower edge of this curve shape close to the brow bone, so that the entire forehead can be irradiated, and the doctor or patient can visually confirm that the wearing position is appropriate. For a loose design of the cover 1, this curve shape with the middle part lower and the two side parts slightly higher will also guide the user's forehead to actively approach the cover 1 when wearing. This wearing position close enough to the forehead is appropriate because the frontal lobe is the key treatment area and needs to ensure the irradiation effect. By placing the lower edge of this curve shape close to the brow bone, both the patient and the doctor can confirm that the appropriate wearing position has been reached, and the patient will consciously maintain this appropriate wearing position.

[0068] Returning to FIG. 1(b), the irradiation parameters of each near-infrared irradiation unit 2 can be independently adjusted, and the irradiation parameters at least include the average power density. That is, the irradiation parameters are adjusted in units of near-infrared irradiation units 2, which can include a group of multiple near-infrared light-emitting diodes 2a, so as to control the irradiation parameters of all near-infrared light-emitting diodes 2a with flexibility and efficiency. The irradiation parameters can include pulse frequency (component), waveform, duty cycle, etc. in addition to the average power density. In some embodiments, the pulse frequency of at least part of the near-infrared irradiation units 2 can be independently adjusted, so that different pulse frequencies can be set for different brain regions to achieve targeted treatment of each brain region.

[0069] The near-infrared light can include pulsed light. The inventors have found that using pulsed light of a single frequency in a suitable frequency range, such as the frequency band of alpha waves (e.g. 10 Hz) or the frequency band of gamma waves (e.g. 40 Hz), has a good irradiation effect. In some embodiments, pulsed light containing at least two frequency components in a certain frequency range can be used to perform irradiation, which in some cases has a better irradiation effect than using pulsed light of a conventional single frequency. In some embodiments, the pulsed light includes a pulsed wave component of a first pulse frequency and / or a pulsed wave component of a second pulse frequency, the first pulse frequency being 7-13 Hz, and the second pulse frequency being 30-80 Hz. Preferably, the first pulse frequency is 10 Hz, and the second pulse frequency is 40 Hz. The inventors have found that using suitable waveforms such as, but not limited to, alpha waves and gamma waves has a better irradiation effect than other waveforms. The pulsed light includes an alpha wave frequency and a gamma wave frequency as a pulsed wave component of a first pulse frequency and a pulsed wave component of a second pulse frequency, respectively, and is formed by any of the following methods. For example, the alpha wave and the gamma wave can be synchronously superimposed to form the waveform of the pulsed light emitted by each near-infrared light-emitting diode 2a. That is, each near-infrared light-emitting diode 2a directly emits a waveform formed by the synchronous superposition of the alpha wave and the gamma wave, thereby achieving a mixed waveform (a pulsed wave formed by the superposition of the two frequency bands of alpha waves and gamma waves) that is time-synchronous and spatially coincident. For another example, the alpha wave and the gamma wave can be combined in time to form the waveform of the pulsed light emitted by each near-infrared light-emitting diode 2a. That is, for the same near-infrared light-emitting diode 2a, it can be lit at different time periods to alternately irradiate the alpha wave and the gamma wave, which is a mixed mode that is simply spatially coincident. In some embodiments, each of the first group of near-infrared light-emitting diodes 2a can emit pulsed light of the alpha wave, and each of the second group of near-infrared light-emitting diodes 2a can synchronously emit pulsed light of the gamma wave, that is, the near-infrared light-emitting diodes 2a of the first group and the second group are simultaneously lit at the same time period. Specifically, the near-infrared light-emitting diodes 2a corresponding to different brain regions can be lit at the same time period, which is a mixed mode that is only time-coincident, so that pulsed light of specific frequency and waveform can be provided to different brain regions.

[0070] In some embodiments, the pulse frequency of the near-infrared irradiation unit 2 is adjustable, wherein the adjustable range is 0-100 Hz, for example, the near-infrared light with a pulse frequency of 8 Hz, 10 Hz, 30 Hz, 40 Hz, etc. is used for irradiation, etc., so that when the user uses the light treatment device to perform light treatment, the user can determine a more suitable pulse frequency according to the type of disease, the degree of illness, the target brain region, etc. to achieve a better light treatment effect.

[0071] Now back to Fig. 1(b), the head cap for the light therapy device for treating mental diseases including depression is exemplarily illustrated with respect to the specific implementation of the near-infrared irradiation units 2 and the cooling mechanism 4.

[0072] As shown in Fig. 1(b), the head cap can include a cover 1 that loosely accommodates the patient's head so that the head can rotate within a preset angle range and move up and down within a preset distance range during the treatment. The implementation of the cover 1 described in various embodiments of the present application in combination with the light therapy device can be incorporated here, which will not be elaborated here.

[0073] The head cap 1 can include an array of near-infrared irradiation units 2 disposed in the cover 1, each of which can include a plurality of near-infrared light-emitting diodes 2a, and the array of near-infrared irradiation units 2 is configured to emit near-infrared light to the patient's head. The implementation of the array of near-infrared irradiation units 2 described in various embodiments of the present application can be incorporated here.

[0074] The head cap 1 is also provided with a cooling member for use in cooperation with an external refrigeration machine 3 and a cold air delivery pipeline 12 to form a cooling mechanism 4 capable of sufficiently cooling the patient's head. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 1(b), the cover 1 is provided with a cold air transmission inner cavity 5 adjacent to the array of near-infrared irradiation units 2 and a passage 7 leading from the cold air transmission inner cavity 5 to the patient's head, so that the cold air generated by the refrigeration machine 3 outside the head cap (e.g., via the cold air delivery pipeline 12) is sent into the cold air transmission inner cavity 5 and blown to the patient's head via the passage 7 to cool the patient's head.

[0075] With reference to Fig. 1(a) and Fig. 1(b), the cover 1 includes an outer layer 12a and a transparent cover 13 as an inner layer, a cold air transmission inner cavity 5 is formed between the outer layer 12a and the transparent cover 13, and a plurality of air vents 6 are formed on the transparent cover 13 so that each air vent 6 together with the gap between the transparent cover 13 and the patient's head forms a passage 7. It can be seen that the air vents 6 can be grouped to be formed so that the cold air blown from all around to the head is more evenly distributed, so that the patients with mental diseases who are more sensitive to temperature can also feel comfortable and cooperate with the treatment.

[0076] The near-infrared irradiation unit 2 can adopt various implementations, for example, can be a lamp panel 2b (as shown in FIG. 1(b)) carrying a plurality of near-infrared light-emitting diodes 2a, and the plurality of air vents 6 are distributed in groups (as shown in FIG. 1(a)) and can be implemented as a multi-point array, so that each group of air vents 6 corresponds to each lamp panel 2b. The gap directly opposite the lamp panel 2b is the part with the most obvious temperature rise, and each group of air vents 6 corresponding to each lamp panel 2b can be used to deliver cold air to reduce the heat in this part of the gap. In the case where the near-infrared irradiation unit 2 is implemented as a lamp panel 2b carrying a plurality of near-infrared light-emitting diodes 2a, the near-infrared irradiation unit group arranged corresponding to each brain region of the head can be composed of one or more lamp panels 2b. In some embodiments, the irradiation parameters of the plurality of lamp panels 2b in each near-infrared irradiation unit group, including the average power density, can be independently controlled as a whole through a pre-set program.

[0077] The outer layer 12a of the cover 1 includes a hot air extraction inner cavity 14, which at least contains a circuit 15, and is in communication with the outside through an air inlet (not shown) and an air outlet 17, so that the air introduced through the air inlet carries the heat generated by the circuit 15 and is discharged to the outside through the air outlet 17. The inventors have found that when the array of near-infrared irradiation units 2 is configured to have an average power density greater than 40 mW / cm 2 , the heat generated by the circuit 15 will also be very high, and sometimes the local heat generated by the circuit 15 is significantly higher than the heat generated by the light-heat conversion of the near-infrared light-emitting diodes 2a. Therefore, the hot air extraction inner cavity 14 is provided to efficiently remove heat, thereby avoiding the local heat generated by the circuit 15 from being conducted to the side of the near-infrared light-emitting diodes 2a or even the head side, and thereby improving the heat dissipation efficiency. In some embodiments, the outer side of the circuit 15 can be equipped with a heat conduction sheet to guide the heat to be transmitted and discharged to the outside.

[0078] In some embodiments, the hot air extraction inner cavity 14 and the cold air transmission inner cavity 5 are independent of each other. In this way, the heat generated by the circuit 15 can be prevented from spreading to the cold air transmission inner cavity 5, thereby adversely affecting the heat dissipation effect on the gap between the head and the transparent cover 13.

[0079] As shown in FIG. 1(a) and FIG. 1(b), the cold air transmission inner cavity 5 has a transparent partition 18 on the outside, and each lamp panel 2b is located on the outside of the transparent partition 18. The transparent partition 18 can completely separate the hot air extraction inner cavity 14 from the cold air transmission inner cavity 5, so that the transmitted cold air can be prevented from entering the hot air extraction inner cavity 14, allowing the cold air to act on the gap between the head and the transparent cover 13 to a greater extent, thereby improving the heat dissipation effect on the gap.

[0080] Figure 6A schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of a light treatment device for treating mental illness including depression according to an embodiment of the present application is shown. As shown in Figure 6 The light treatment device can further include a user terminal 19 which can be configured to be interacted by a user. A computer storage medium can be configured in the user terminal 19, on which computer executable instructions are stored, which can be executed by a processor to implement various interaction steps with the user. The storage medium can include read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, random access memory (RAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM) such as synchronous DRAM (SDRAM) or Rambus DRAM, static memory (e.g., flash memory, static random access memory), etc., on which computer executable instructions can be stored in any format.

[0081] In some embodiments, the user terminal 19 can be configured to obtain physiological parameters of the patient, including age and / or light transmittance of extracerebral tissues, and mental illness related information representing the type of mental illness and / or associated brain regions, generate a recommended infrared light treatment scheme for the patient based on the obtained physiological parameters of the patient and the mental illness related information, and display it to the user.

[0082] In some embodiments, the user terminal 19 is further configured to receive a confirmation operation of the recommended infrared light treatment scheme by the user, and after receiving the confirmation operation, each near-infrared irradiation unit 2 (as shown in FIG. 1(a) and FIG. 1(b)) performs irradiation according to the confirmed infrared light treatment scheme.

[0083] Specifically, the controller (not shown) for controlling irradiation can be located on the user terminal 19 or at the headgear, and the user terminal 19 sends an execution instruction containing the confirmed infrared light treatment scheme to the controller at the headgear. The controller can be implemented by various processors, which can be a processing device including one or more general-purpose processing devices, such as a microprocessor, a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), etc. More specifically, the processor can be a complex instruction set computing (CISC) microprocessor, a reduced instruction set computing (RISC) microprocessor, a very long instruction word (VLIW) microprocessor, a processor running other instruction sets, or a processor running a combination of instruction sets. The processor can also be one or more special-purpose processing devices, such as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a digital signal processor (DSP), a system on a chip (SoC), etc. Preferably, most of the operations and processing are concentrated at the user terminal 19, and the computational load and software and hardware costs of the headgear are reduced.

[0084] In some embodiments, the light therapy device further comprises a support 20, as shown in Figure 6 The cover 1 is connected to the support 20 by elastic members 21, which provide a certain range of motion for the head of the AD patient during treatment, making the patient's head more mobile, improving comfort and use experience.

[0085] The inventors conducted a clinical experiment on depression using the light therapy device according to the embodiments of the present application, Figure 7 The figure shows the power change of the alpha wave in the brain electrical signal of a patient with depression before and after light therapy using the light therapy device according to the embodiments of the present application. During treatment, the average power density of the near-infrared light emitted by the light therapy device according to the embodiments of the present application to the forehead and temporal lobe of the patient is greater than 80 mW / cm 2 , the pulse frequency is 10 Hz, preferably about 90 mW / cm 2 -120 mW / cm 2 , and the average power density of light in most areas is 100 mW / cm 2 The above. Figure 7 The figure shows the power change of the alpha wave in the brain electrical signal of a patient with depression before and after light therapy using the light therapy device according to the embodiments of the present application. During treatment, the average power density of the near-infrared light emitted by the light therapy device according to the embodiments of the present application to the forehead and temporal lobe of the patient is greater than 80 mW / cm Figure 7 It can be seen from the figure that for the same patient, the power intensity of the alpha wave in the left pre-test (i.e., before treatment using the light therapy device) brain electrical signal is generally weaker, and the power intensity of the alpha wave in the right post-test (i.e., after treatment using the light therapy device) brain electrical signal is generally significantly enhanced. The alpha wave is the main manifestation of electrical activity when the cerebral cortex is in a relaxed state, so it can be seen that the light therapy device according to the embodiments of the present application has a significant effect on patients with depression.

[0086] Figure 8 The figure shows the power change of the alpha wave in the brain electrical signal of a patient with depression before and after light therapy using the light therapy device according to the embodiments of the present application. During treatment, the average power density of the near-infrared light emitted by the light therapy device according to the embodiments of the present application to the forehead and temporal lobe of the patient is greater than 80 mW / cm Figure 8It can be seen that before the light treatment by the light treatment device according to the embodiment of the application, the HAMD (Hamilton Depression Scale) score of the patient is 22, the HAMA (Hamilton Anxiety Scale) score is 21, and the CSDD (Cornell Dementia Depression Scale) score is 20. After a period of treatment (about one and a half months), the scale scores of the same patient are measured again, the HAMD depression score is reduced to 6, the HAMA anxiety score is reduced to 7, and the CSDD dementia depression scale is also reduced to 7. Among them, the higher the score of each scale, the more serious the patient's illness, and the lower the score, the less serious the illness, that is, each score is correspondingly greatly reduced. According to the information provided by the National Psychiatric Scale Cooperation Group, one of the recommended evaluation criteria is that: the HAMD score is more than 35 points, which may be severe depression, more than 20 points, which may be mild or moderate depression, and less than 8 points, which is considered to have no depressive symptoms; the HAMA score is more than 29 points, which may be severe anxiety, more than 21 points, which definitely has obvious anxiety, more than 14 points, which definitely has anxiety, and more than 7 points, which may have anxiety, and less than 7 points, which can be considered to have no anxiety symptoms; the CSDD score is more than 12, which is severe, 8-12, which is mild, and less than 8, which is normal. It can be seen that after the light treatment by the light treatment device according to the embodiment of the application, the patient is almost symptom-free in the HAMD, HAMA, and CSDD evaluation angles, and therefore, the light treatment device according to the embodiment of the application has very significant effects on patients with depression in various evaluation angles.

[0087] In addition, although the exemplary embodiments have been described herein, the scope of their range includes any and all embodiments based on the present application with equivalent elements, modifications, omissions, combinations (for example, solutions in which various embodiments are crossed), adaptations or variations. The elements in the claims will be broadly interpreted based on the language adopted in the claims, and are not limited to the examples described in the specification or during the implementation of the application, and the examples will be interpreted as non-exclusive. Therefore, the specification and examples are intended to be considered only as examples, and the true scope and spirit are indicated by the entire scope of the following claims and their equivalents.

[0088] The above description is intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive. For example, the above-described examples (or one or more aspects thereof) can be used in combination with each other. Other embodiments can be used, which will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. Additionally, the various features described above can be grouped together or divided into separate features for the purpose of simplifying the present disclosure. This should not be interpreted as a requirement to practice any claim in its full

[0089] The above embodiments are only exemplary embodiments of the present application, not intended to limit the present application, and the protection scope of the present application is defined by the claims. Those skilled in the art can make various modifications or equivalent replacements to the present application within the spirit and protection scope of the present application, and such modifications or equivalent replacements should also be considered to fall within the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A light therapy device for treating mental illnesses, including depression, characterized in that, include: A cover configured to accommodate the patient's head; An array of near-infrared irradiation units arranged within the enclosure, the array being configured to emit an average power density greater than 40 mW / cm² towards the patient's head. 2 Near-infrared light, when used to treat depression, has an average power density of 80 mW / cm² when emitted into both the frontal and temporal lobes of the head. 2 -200mW / cm 2 ;as well as The cooling mechanism includes a refrigerator and a passage for delivering cold air generated by the refrigerator to the patient's head to dissipate heat from the patient's head. The cover is provided with a hot air extraction cavity, which contains at least an electrical circuit and is connected to the outside through an air inlet and an air outlet, so that the air introduced through the air inlet carries the heat generated by the electrical circuit and is discharged to the outside through the air outlet.

2. The phototherapy device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The array of near-infrared irradiation units includes groups of near-infrared irradiation units arranged corresponding to various brain regions of the head, and the irradiation parameters, including power density, of each near-infrared irradiation unit can be independently controlled.

3. The phototherapy device according to claim 1, characterized in that, It is also used to treat autism. In the treatment of autism, the average power density of the near-infrared light emitted by the near-infrared irradiation unit group corresponding to the brain region associated with autism is 100 mW / cm². 2 -200mW / cm 2 .

4. The phototherapy device according to claim 3, characterized in that, Brain regions associated with autism include at least one of the frontal lobe, temporal lobe, hippocampus, amygdala, and corpus callosum.

5. The phototherapy device according to claim 1, characterized in that, In the treatment of depression, the array of near-infrared irradiation units is configured to emit near-infrared light to at least a portion of nodes of a brain network, which includes at least one of a default network, a salience network, and a central executive network.

6. The phototherapy device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The array of near-infrared irradiation units is configured as follows: Near-infrared light is emitted to nodes in the default network whose node-to-node functional connection strength is lower than a first predetermined level, wherein... The nodes of the default network include at least one of the cingulate cortex and the precuneus.

7. The phototherapy device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The array of near-infrared irradiation units is configured to emit near-infrared light towards nodes in the salience network whose node-to-node functional connectivity strength is below a second predetermined level, wherein... The nodes of the highlighted network include at least the amygdala.

8. The phototherapy device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The array of near-infrared irradiation units is configured to emit near-infrared light to nodes of the central execution network whose node-to-node functional connection strength is below a third predetermined level and / or above a fourth predetermined level.

9. The phototherapy device according to claim 1, characterized in that, In the treatment of autism, the array of near-infrared irradiation units emits near-infrared light toward the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex.

10. The phototherapy device according to claim 1, characterized in that, In the treatment of autism, the array of near-infrared irradiation units is configured as follows: Near-infrared light is emitted to at least some nodes of a brain network, wherein the nodes of the brain network include at least the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the amygdala; The array of near-infrared irradiation units is further configured to determine the irradiation location and / or preset average power density based on the functional connectivity strength between the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the amygdala.

11. The phototherapy device according to claim 10, characterized in that, For children with autism, The array of near-infrared irradiation units is further configured to emit near-infrared light toward the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and / or the amygdala when the functional connection strength between the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the amygdala is higher than a fifth predetermined level.

12. The phototherapy device according to claim 10, characterized in that, For adolescents with autism and / or adults with autism The array of near-infrared irradiation units is further configured to emit near-infrared light to nodes in the brain network whose functional connectivity strength is below a sixth predetermined level.

13. The phototherapy device according to claim 1, characterized in that, It is also used to treat bipolar disorder. In the treatment of bipolar disorder, the average power density of near-infrared light emitted by the near-infrared irradiation unit group corresponding to the brain region associated with bipolar disorder is 100 mW / cm². 2 -200mW / cm 2 ,in, The brain regions associated with bipolar disorder include at least the frontal lobe and limbic region.

14. The phototherapy device according to claim 1, characterized in that, In the treatment of bipolar disorder The array of near-infrared irradiation units is configured to emit near-infrared light to at least a portion of the nodes of a brain network, which includes at least one of a default mode network and a sensorimotor network.

15. The phototherapy device according to claim 14, characterized in that, The array of near-infrared irradiation units is configured as follows: When a patient with bipolar disorder is in a depressive phase, near-infrared light is emitted to nodes in the brain network whose functional connectivity is below a seventh predetermined level; and / or When a bipolar disorder patient is in a manic phase, near-infrared light is emitted to nodes in the brain network whose functional connectivity strength is higher than an eighth predetermined level.

16. The phototherapy device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cover loosely accommodates the patient's head, allowing the head to rotate within a preset angle range and move up and down within a preset distance range during treatment.

17. The phototherapy device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cover has a fixed structure and dimensions.

18. The phototherapy device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The phototherapy device also includes: A head tightening device is provided on the lower inner side of the cover body. The head tightening device includes a head cover and an adjusting member for tightening the head cover to the head. A light-shielding element is provided at least partially in the gap between the head of the sleeve and the inner side of the cover, and the light-shielding element extends downward so that its lower side extends beyond the lower side of the head of the sleeve to block leaked near-infrared light.

19. The phototherapy device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The phototherapy device also includes: A chin tightening device connected to the lower part of the cover body, the chin tightening device including a chin strap connected to the lower part of the cover body and a tightening member provided on the chin strap.

20. The phototherapy device according to any one of claims 1-19, characterized in that, The cover has a left convex ear and a right convex ear to cover the left and right temporal lobes of the patient, respectively. Near-infrared irradiation units are evenly distributed on the left and right convex ear to emit near-infrared light to the covered temporal lobe region.

21. The phototherapy device according to claim 20, characterized in that, The left and right convex auricles are configured to extend downwards below the patient's ear.

22. The phototherapy device according to claim 20, characterized in that, The cover includes a forehead portion and has a curved connection portion between the forehead portion and the left and right protruding ear portions, so that the lower edges of the left protruding ear portion, the forehead portion and the right protruding ear portion are connected by a curve to form a whole, thereby completely covering the left and right temporal lobes of the patient.

23. The phototherapy device according to claim 20, characterized in that, The left and right convex auricles are configured such that, during treatment, when the head rotates within a preset angle range and moves up and down within a preset distance range, the near-infrared irradiation units deployed on the left and right convex auricles can still irradiate the patient's temporal lobe.

24. The phototherapy device according to claim 23, characterized in that, The lower edge of the front part of the cover is a gentle curve, and the middle part of the lower edge extends downward relative to the two sides to guide the user to wear the lower edge to the brow bone.

25. The phototherapy device according to any one of claims 1-19, characterized in that, The array of near-infrared irradiation units is configured to emit an average power density of less than 250 mW / cm² towards the patient's head. 2 Near-infrared light.

26. The phototherapy device according to any one of claims 1-19, characterized in that, The average power density is determined based on the following parameters of the patient: The average power density of patients with low extracerebral tissue translucency is determined based on the translucency of their extracerebral tissue, such that the average power density of patients with low extracerebral tissue translucency is higher than that of patients with high extracerebral tissue translucency.

27. The phototherapy device according to any one of claims 1-19, characterized in that, At least some of the near-infrared irradiation units have irradiation parameters, including pulse frequency, that can be adjusted independently.

28. The phototherapy device according to any one of claims 1-19, characterized in that, It also includes a user terminal, which is configured to: acquire the patient's physiological parameters and mental illness-related information, wherein the physiological parameters include age and / or translucency of extracerebral tissues, and the mental illness-related information characterizes the type of mental illness and / or associated brain regions; Based on the obtained physiological parameters and information related to the patient's mental illness, a suggested infrared light therapy plan is generated for the patient and displayed to the user.

29. The phototherapy device according to claim 28, characterized in that, The user terminal is further configured to receive confirmation from the user regarding the suggested infrared light therapy plan; upon receiving the confirmation, each near-infrared irradiation unit performs irradiation according to the confirmed infrared light therapy plan.

30. The phototherapy device according to any one of claims 1-19, characterized in that, The phototherapy device can provide patients with a single treatment session lasting more than 20 minutes.

31. The phototherapy device according to any one of claims 1-19, characterized in that, The near-infrared light is pulsed light, and the irradiation parameters of the near-infrared irradiation unit also include the pulse frequency. The pulsed light includes a pulse wave component of a first pulse frequency and / or a pulse wave component of a second pulse frequency. The first pulse frequency is 7Hz-13Hz, and the second pulse frequency is 30Hz-100Hz.

32. The phototherapy device according to claim 31, characterized in that, The first pulse frequency is 10Hz, and the second pulse frequency is 40Hz.

33. The phototherapy device according to claim 31, characterized in that, Each near-infrared irradiation unit includes multiple near-infrared light-emitting diodes, and the pulsed light includes pulse wave components with alpha and gamma frequencies as the first pulse frequency and the second pulse frequency, respectively, and is formed in any of the following ways: The waveform of the pulsed light emitted by each near-infrared light-emitting diode is composed of synchronously superimposed alpha and gamma waves; The waveform of the pulsed light emitted by each near-infrared light-emitting diode is composed of a time-division combination of alpha and gamma waves; Each near-infrared LED in the first group emits an alpha wave pulse, and each near-infrared LED in the second group emits a gamma wave pulse. The two groups of near-infrared LEDs emit pulses synchronously.

34. The phototherapy device according to any one of claims 1-19, characterized in that, The near-infrared light is pulsed light, and the irradiation parameters of the near-infrared irradiation unit also include an adjustable pulse frequency, the adjustable range of which is 0Hz-100Hz.

35. The phototherapy device according to any one of claims 1-19, characterized in that, The array of near-infrared irradiation units is configured to emit near-infrared light with a first center wavelength of 800nm-820nm toward the patient's head.

36. The phototherapy device according to claim 35, characterized in that, The first center wavelength is 810 nm.

37. The phototherapy device according to any one of claims 1-19, characterized in that, The near-infrared light is near-infrared light of several wavelengths, including a first center wavelength of 800nm-820nm, and a second center wavelength and / or a third center wavelength, wherein the second center wavelength ranges from 600nm to 700nm, and the third center wavelength ranges from 850nm to 1100nm.

38. The phototherapy device according to claim 37, characterized in that, In the treatment of depression, several wavelengths are used, including a first center wavelength as the primary center wavelength and a second and / or a third center wavelength as auxiliary center wavelengths, wherein the second center wavelength is 633 nm or 660 nm and the third center wavelength is 980 nm or 1064 nm.

39. The phototherapy device according to claim 37, characterized in that, The average power density of near-infrared light at the primary center wavelength is more than twice that of the average power density at the secondary center wavelength.

40. The phototherapy device according to any one of claims 1-19, characterized in that, The cooling mechanism further includes a cold air transmission cavity arranged in an array adjacent to the near-infrared irradiation unit in the cover, and a passage leading from the cold air transmission cavity to the patient's head, and is configured to send cold air generated by the refrigerator into the cold air transmission cavity and blow it to the patient's head through the passage to dissipate heat from the patient's head.

41. The phototherapy device according to any one of claims 1-19, characterized in that, The cooling mechanism dissipates heat from the patient's head, bringing the temperature near the patient's scalp to between 18 and 43 degrees Celsius.

42. The phototherapy device according to any one of claims 1-19, characterized in that, The cover includes an outer layer and a transparent cover as an inner layer. A cold air transmission cavity is formed between the outer layer and the transparent cover. The transparent cover has multiple ventilation holes so that each ventilation hole, together with the gap between the transparent cover and the patient's head, constitutes the passage.

43. The phototherapy device according to claim 42, characterized in that, The near-infrared irradiation unit is a lamp board carrying multiple near-infrared light-emitting diodes. The multiple vent holes are grouped together, so that each group of vent holes corresponds to a specific lamp board.

44. The phototherapy device according to claim 42, characterized in that, The outer layer of the cover includes the hot air extraction cavity.

45. The phototherapy device according to claim 44, characterized in that, The hot gas extraction chamber and the cold gas transmission chamber are independent of each other.

46. ​​The phototherapy device according to claim 43, characterized in that, The cold air transmission cavity has a transparent partition on the outer side, and each lamp panel is located on the outer side of the transparent partition.

47. The phototherapy device according to any one of claims 1-19, characterized in that, The airflow speed of the cold air blowing towards the patient's head through the passage is 0.5m / s-3.5m / s.

48. The phototherapy device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The phototherapy device also includes a support frame, and the cover is connected to the support frame via an elastic element.

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