A light therapy device for treating Alzheimer's disease

Abstract

The application relates to a light treatment device for treating Alzheimer's disease and a headgear thereof. The device comprises a cover body for accommodating a patient's head in a loose manner, an array of near-infrared irradiation units arranged in the cover body, the array being configured to emit single-wavelength near-infrared light with a central wavelength of 800-820 nm and an average power density greater than 40 mw / cm 2 2 to the head, and a cooling mechanism comprising a refrigerating machine, a cold air transmission inner cavity arranged in the cover body adjacent to the array of near-infrared irradiation units, and a passage from the cold air transmission inner cavity to the patient's head, and configured to send cold air generated by the refrigerating machine into the cold air transmission inner cavity and blow to the patient's head via the passage to dissipate heat from the patient's head. The device and the headgear can effectively treat AD patients, adapt to the special psychological and physiological needs of AD patients at various stages, improve the treatment compliance of the patients, and ensure good treatment effect on AD.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of medical equipment, more particularly, to a light therapy device for treating Alzheimer's disease. BACKGROUND

[0002] Alzheimer's disease (AD) is more common in people over 65 years old, with slow or occult onset, and worsening over time, mainly manifested as cognitive decline, language dysfunction, emotional instability, mental symptoms and behavioral disorders, and gradual decline in daily living ability, eventually losing physical function and leading to death. At present, the cause of AD is not clear, and with the development of global population aging, the number of AD patients is increasing, which has brought a heavy burden to families and society.

[0003] There is currently no effective drug treatment method for AD in clinical practice. For many years, a large number of studies have been conducted at home and abroad to treat AD using physical electromagnetic stimulation, such as transcranial direct current stimulation and transcranial magnetic therapy, but these electromagnetic treatments can only reach the cerebral cortex and are not good for stimulating deep brain areas. In recent years, there have also been frontier researches on treating AD using near-infrared light at home and abroad, but although there are some research results, most of them are carried out on mice in vivo experiments, and there are few clinical results with human subjects.

[0004] The average light power density of the near-infrared light of the light therapy device for treating Alzheimer's disease 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. The near-infrared treatment module is divided into two parts, so that the near-infrared light cannot irradiate the whole brain, the light therapy effect is poor, and the near-infrared light is easy to leak, causing safety problems.

[0005] Furthermore, the shell of the existing light therapy device for treating AD using near-infrared light is usually adapted to the shape of the patient's head, and in addition to the decline in memory ability, AD patients also exhibit emotional agitation, anxiety, lack of security, often suspicious and easily irritated, etc. If the patient's head is clamped or required to keep still during treatment, it will lead to strong resistance to light therapy, poor acceptance and cooperation, thereby affecting the light therapy effect. SUMMARY

[0006] The present application is provided to solve the above-mentioned problems existing in the prior art. A light therapy device for treating Alzheimer's disease and a head cap thereof are needed, which can effectively treat AD patients, adapt to the special psychological needs and physiological needs of AD patients at various stages of the disease, improve the treatment compliance of patients, and ensure good treatment effect for AD.

[0007] According to a first aspect of the present application, a light therapy device for treating Alzheimer's disease is provided. The light therapy device comprises a cover body configured to loosely accommodate a patient's head such that the head can rotate within a preset angle range and move up and down within a preset distance range during treatment. The light therapy device comprises an array of near-infrared irradiation units arranged in the cover body, the array of near-infrared irradiation units being configured to emit near-infrared light of a single wavelength with an average power density greater than 40 mW / cm 2 2 to the patient's head. The light therapy device further comprises a cooling mechanism comprising a refrigerating machine, a cold air transmission inner cavity arranged in the cover body adjacent to the array of near-infrared irradiation units, and a passage from the cold air transmission inner cavity to the patient's head, and configured to send cold air generated by the refrigerating machine into the cold air transmission inner cavity and blow to the patient's head via the passage to dissipate heat from the patient's head.

[0008] According to a second aspect of the present application, a head cap of a light therapy device for treating Alzheimer's disease is provided. The head cap comprises a cover body configured to loosely accommodate a patient's head such that the head can rotate within a preset angle range and move up and down within a preset distance range during treatment. The head cap comprises an array of near-infrared irradiation units arranged in the cover body, the array of near-infrared irradiation units being configured to emit near-infrared light to the patient's head. The head cap further comprises a cold air transmission inner cavity arranged in the cover body adjacent to the array of near-infrared irradiation units, and a passage from the cold air transmission inner cavity to the patient's head, such that cold air generated by a refrigerating machine outside the head cap is sent into the cold air transmission inner cavity and blown to the patient's head via the passage to dissipate heat from the patient's head.

[0009] The light therapy device and its head cap for treating Alzheimer's disease according to various embodiments of the present application can effectively treat AD patients, adapt to AD patients with various disease courses, and enable AD patients to be in a relatively comfortable environment during treatment, especially to adapt to the physiological needs of some AD patients for temperature increase and higher irradiation power, improve the treatment compliance of patients, and meet special psychological needs such as psychological barriers to emotional agitation, anxiety, closed and crowded spaces, and ensure good treatment effect on AD. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0010] In the drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, like numerals describe similar components throughout the several views. The drawings illustrate various embodiments in accordance with the present disclosure by way of example only and are not intended to limit the disclosure in any way. Like reference numerals in different figures indicate like components. Such embodiments can be exemplary, but not limiting, and are not intended to exhaustively describe the present devices or methods.

[0011] FIG. 1(a) shows a schematic diagram of the configuration of a light therapy device for treating Alzheimer's disease according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0012] FIG. 1(b) shows a schematic diagram of the configuration of an array of near-infrared irradiation units in a headgear of a light therapy device for treating Alzheimer's disease according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

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

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

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

[0016] Figure 4 FIG. 4 shows a schematic diagram of a headgear of a light therapy device for treating Alzheimer's disease in a worn state according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0017] Figure 5 FIG. 5 shows a schematic diagram of the distribution of various brain regions of the whole brain of a patient according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0018] Figure 6 FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of a headgear of a light therapy device for treating Alzheimer's disease according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0019] Figure 7 FIG. 7 shows a schematic diagram of the overall configuration of a light therapy device for treating Alzheimer's disease according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0020] Figure 8 FIG. 8 shows a comparison chart of the live experiment data of the water maze experiment of AD mice receiving light therapy and control AD mice after light therapy using a light therapy device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure for 5-month-old AD mice;

[0021] Figure 9Figures showing pathological section images of the cerebral cortex region and the hippocampal CA1 region of AD mice and control AD mice after light therapy using the light therapy device according to an embodiment of the present application, wherein the distribution of β-amyloid protein (Aβ) is shown as granules; and Figure 9 Figures showing pathological section images of the cerebral cortex region and the hippocampal CA1 region of AD mice and control AD mice after light therapy using the light therapy device according to an embodiment of the present application, wherein the distribution of β-amyloid protein (Aβ) is shown as granules; and

[0022] Figure 10 Figures showing pathological section images of the cerebral cortex region and the hippocampal CA1 region of AD mice and control AD mice after light therapy using the light therapy device according to an embodiment of the present application, wherein the distribution of β-amyloid protein (Aβ) is shown as granules; and DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] 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 combination with the drawings and specific embodiments. The embodiments of the present application will be described in further detail below in combination with the drawings and specific embodiments, but are not intended to limit the present application. The order in which each step is described herein as an example should not be considered as a limitation, and those skilled in the art should know that the order can be adjusted, as long as the logic between them is not destroyed and the entire process cannot be implemented.

[0024] The terms "first", "second", and the like used in the present application do not represent any order, quantity, or importance, but are only used to distinguish. The terms "include" or "contain" and the like 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 in the present application 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 in the present application means the organ left after removing extracerebral tissues, and is mainly intended to mean the cerebrum, but is not limited thereto, and can also include the cerebrum, cerebellum, and brainstem. The term "whole brain" used in the present application is intended to be distinguished from separate brain regions such as the frontal lobe, temporal lobe, but is not limited to the exhaustive regions of the "brain". The "whole brain" at least includes the frontal lobe, temporal lobe, parietal lobe, and occipital lobe, and in some cases can (but not necessarily) further include the hippocampus, amygdala, etc., and in other cases can (but not necessarily) further include the cerebellum, brainstem, etc.

[0025] The research team of the present applicant has conducted in-depth research on near-infrared light treatment of AD and light treatment equipment, and has carried out a large number of simulation experiments and clinical experiments, which not only demonstrates the feasibility of the AD light treatment equipment in theory and in fact, but also pays attention to and deeply studies the special psychological and physiological needs of AD patients in clinical experiments of various courses. The present application provides a light treatment equipment for treating Alzheimer's disease, which can not only significantly improve the treatment compliance of patients, but also ensure good treatment effect of AD.

[0026] Figure 1(a) shows a schematic diagram of the structure of the light treatment equipment for treating Alzheimer's disease according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 1(a), the light treatment equipment comprises a cover body 1 which loosely accommodates the head of the patient, so that the head can rotate within a predetermined angle range and move up and down within a predetermined distance range during the treatment. Unlike the cover body 1 which is adapted to the shape of the patient's head, a gap of a few centimeters is left between the cover body 1 and the patient's head, preferably 1-2 cm, so that the patient can move his head within the predetermined angle range and the predetermined distance range according to his own will. This open design of the cover body 1 does not constrain the patient's head, and is particularly friendly to the elderly who are emotionally agitated, anxious, resistant or even afraid of closed or crowded spaces, thereby significantly improving the treatment compliance of AD patients. Specifically, the light treatment equipment can be used to treat patients with AD who have psychological barriers to closed or crowded spaces. This psychological barrier to closed or crowded spaces can be caused by the patient's age or psychological illness other than AD, or caused by AD. This design of the cover body 1 can also be widely applicable to the behavioral characteristics of patients in different courses of AD. For example, for early AD patients, the judgment ability decreases and they are often suspicious and easily irritated. The wearing of this cover body 1 with sufficient freedom and openness is easily accepted by the patients and is not likely to cause irritation, so that the patients can cooperate with the continuous light treatment. For example, for patients in the middle stage of AD, the mood fluctuates dramatically, and they are impatient and restless, and the heads of some patients may frequently and unconsciously sway slightly. This open cover body 1 allows the patient's head to sway slightly unconsciously without causing the cover body 1 to shake. Therefore, it is not necessary to forcibly stop the slight swaying, which increases the comfort of the patients and reduces the workload of the medical staff, while avoiding the transmission of the swaying of the patient's head to the cover body 1, which affects the light treatment effect. Therefore, the light treatment equipment can be used to treat Alzheimer's disease patients who are emotionally agitated and anxious.

[0027] The open and loose design of the cover 1 can make AD patients of various disease courses more willing to accept treatment, and single irradiation can last for a longer time, such as 20 minutes, 30 minutes or even longer each time, thereby further improving the treatment effect.

[0028] The light treatment device further includes an array of near-infrared irradiation units 2 arranged in the cover 1. As an example, as shown in FIG. 1(b), each near-infrared irradiation unit 2 includes 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 2 to the head of the patient. It can be understood that the term "average power density" used in the present application means the energy size of near-infrared light irradiated on a unit area per unit time.

[0029] The inventors have found that for elderly patients with AD, such as those over 65 years old, a higher power density needs to be provided to ensure that sufficient light energy enters the brain for effective treatment of AD. In the light treatment device of the embodiments of the present application, the array of near-infrared irradiation units 2 is configured to emit near-infrared light with a power density greater than 40 mW / cm 2 2 to the head of the patient, so that sufficient light energy enters the brain. Furthermore, in the light treatment device of the embodiments of the present application, the cover 1 does not adopt a fitted 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, and the superposition of the scattering of the near-infrared light causes a higher power density at each brain region position, further meeting the increasing demand for power density, and thereby meeting the requirement for a higher power density on the whole brain.

[0030] The inventors have found through simulation experiments and clinical experiments that for the light treatment device of the present application with the loose design of the cover 1, an average power density greater than 40 mW / cm 2 2 can also ensure that sufficient light energy enters the brain tissue of the elderly patients with AD, ensuring good treatment effect. Specifically, the average power density used can be 40 mW / cm 2 -150 mW / cm 2 , such as 60 mW / cm 2 , 70 mW / cm 2 , 80 mW / cm 2 , 90 mW / cm 2 , 100 mW / cm 2 , 120 mW / cm 2and so on. For some specific brain regions, such as frontal lobe and temporal lobe, the average power density of near-infrared light can be 50mW / cm 2 above 150mW / cm 2 , preferably 70mW / cm 2 above.

[0031] The average power density of greater than 40mW / cm 2 , even if the air flow is increased, the AD patient will still feel the temperature discomfort near the scalp, even unbearable hot feeling, so as to be unable to bear the continuous treatment, and the air flow is too large to cause the patient's head to be uncomfortable. For some specific brain regions, such as frontal lobe and temporal lobe, the average power density required by some types of irradiation treatment, such as whole brain irradiation treatment, or some special focus brain regions, such as frontal lobe and temporal lobe, can be higher, such as 70mW / cm 2 above, or even 150mW / cm 2 above. It is proved by in vitro irradiation of cortical cells by near-infrared light that the array of the near-infrared irradiation unit 2 can be configured to emit near-infrared light with an average power density of less than 250mW / cm 2 to the patient's head, which can avoid the risk of thermal damage and avoid inhibition and mitochondrial damage.

[0032] In some embodiments, the array of the near-infrared irradiation unit 2 can be configured to emit near-infrared light with a range of central wavelengths to the patient's head, and the average energy deposition of the near-infrared light with the range of central wavelengths and the deoxyhemoglobin Hb and oxygenated hemoglobin HbO2 absorption coefficients are good. Preferably, the array of the near-infrared irradiation unit 2 can be configured to emit near-infrared light with a central wavelength of 800-820nm to the patient's head, which will be described in detail below in combination with FIG. 2(a), FIG. 2(b), and Figure 3 Preferably, the array of the near-infrared irradiation unit 2 is configured to emit near-infrared light with a single wavelength of 810nm to the patient's head.

[0033] In some embodiments, the average power density required by the near-infrared light used can be determined and adjusted according to the properties 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 the patient with low light transmittance of extracerebral tissue is higher than that of the patient with high light transmittance of extracerebral tissue.

[0034] Specifically, AD patients have lower sensitivity to temperature and pain, that is, AD patients can experience a greater degree of pain and potentially greater degree of tissue or organ damage before discovering and reporting the injury, and AD patients have a large proportion of people over 65 years old, and the elderly are more likely to be cold than young people. Therefore, in the case of using higher average power density or even total power to treat AD patients, it is particularly necessary to fully consider the characteristics of the sensitivity of the AD patient group to temperature and pain to provide a more comfortable treatment environment that does not cause pain or even thermal damage, which helps to prolong the treatment time, thereby achieving better treatment effect.

[0035] 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 head of the patient 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, a cold air transmission inner cavity 5 arranged adjacent to the array of the near-infrared irradiation units 2 in the cover body 1, and a passage 7 leading from the cold air transmission inner cavity 5 to the head of the patient, and is configured to send the cold air generated by the refrigerator 3 into the cold air transmission inner cavity 5 and gently blow to the head of the patient via the passage 7 to cool the head of the patient. In some embodiments, the wind speed of the cold air blowing to the head of the patient via the passage is 0.5-3.5 m / s, which is comfortable for the patient and can ensure the cooling effect, and preferably, the wind speed is 1-2.5 m / s. With such a cooling mechanism 4, in the case that the array of the near-infrared irradiation units 2 emits the near-infrared light to the head of the patient (e.g. all brain regions) together, the total power of the near-infrared light is greater than 3W, and even for some special light treatment programs with higher requirements for total power, the total power can reach more than 10W. In the case of such average power density and total power, the cooling mechanism 4 can still sufficiently cool the head of the patient, so that the temperature near the scalp of the patient is 23-43 degrees Celsius. Preferably, the temperature near the scalp of the patient is 25-40 degrees Celsius, which is close to body temperature, and the human body will be more comfortable in this temperature environment, even for the elderly who are less sensitive to temperature and pain and are afraid of cold, they will also feel more comfortable and will not cause thermal damage, so that they can continuously receive treatment. Through such a cooling structure 4 combined with the previously described loosely designed cover body 1, AD patients of various courses are more willing to accept continuous irradiation treatment, and single irradiation can also be persisted for a longer time (the longer the time, the higher the heat production near the scalp), thereby further improving the treatment effect.

[0036] As an example, the pathway 7 can be formed through the vent 6 on the inner side of the cold air transmission cavity 5 and the gap between the cover 1 and the patient's head, as shown in Figure 1(a). However, this is only an example; a cold air delivery pipe can also be drawn from the cold air transmission cavity 5 and delivered towards the patient's head, which will not be elaborated here. The structure of the cooling mechanism 4 ensures that the cover 1 covers the head from all directions, which avoids light leakage, reduces the safety risks caused by infrared light leakage, and ensures that sufficient light energy is transmitted to the whole brain to ensure the therapeutic effect, while still ensuring good and comfortable heat dissipation.

[0037] Figure 4 A schematic diagram showing a headgear for treating Alzheimer's disease according to an embodiment of this application in a worn state. Figure 4 As shown, the cover 1 has a fixed structure and size to loosely accommodate the patient's head, allowing for lateral movement of the patient's head of 1-2 cm during treatment. In some embodiments, the cover 1 is configured to at least cover the entire brain. Specifically, the cover 1 is constructed with a certain margin so that the cover 1 can still cover the entire brain when the patient rotates within a preset angle range or moves up and down within a preset distance range, allowing the array of near-infrared irradiation units 2 (see Figures 1(a) and 1(b)) to irradiate various brain regions if necessary. Furthermore, the loose and open design of the cover 1 allows for the use of a fixed structure and size for patients with varying degrees of head shape and size, without the need for custom-made cover 1s that are strictly adapted to each patient's head shape and size. This enables standardized manufacturing of the cover 1, resulting in lower manufacturing costs, a wider range of patients to whom the phototherapy device can be applied, and reduced costs associated with the purchase and maintenance of facilities in locations such as hospitals, communities, and homes. Specifically, the so-called fixed structure and size means that the cover 1 does not need to have moving components, and can even be molded as a whole, thereby increasing the service life of the cover 1 and simplifying the structure of the cover 1.

[0038] Figure 5 This diagram illustrates the distribution of various brain regions in the cerebral cortex of a patient according to an embodiment of this application. Figure 5As shown, the various brain regions of the cerebral cortex mainly include frontal lobe, temporal lobe, parietal lobe, occipital lobe and cerebellum, etc. The inventors found that, in treating AD, the array of near-infrared irradiation units emits near-infrared light to all brain regions of the patient's head together, especially at least to the frontal lobe, temporal lobe and hippocampus together, which can achieve better therapeutic effect compared to only irradiating part of the brain regions. Specifically, the hippocampus is located between the thalamus and the medial temporal lobe of the brain, and belongs to part of the limbic system, which plays a role in short-term memory, long-term memory and spatial orientation, and hippocampal atrophy is closely related to Alzheimer's disease. As AD progresses, the lesion further spreads to the frontal lobe and temporal lobe, and the brain slowly atrophies, leading to further loss of memory and loss of self-care ability. The functions of the temporal lobe mainly include auditory perception, language reception, visual memory, declarative (true) memory and emotional control, etc. Specifically, patients with right temporal lobe lesions often lose the understanding of non-verbal auditory stimuli (such as music, etc.), and left temporal lobe lesions affect the patient's perception, memory and organization of language. The frontal lobe is the physiological basis of the most complex psychological activities of human beings, responsible for planning, regulating and controlling human psychological activities, and plays an important role in human's high-level and purposeful behavior, and is closely related to high-level cognitive functions such as attention, memory, problem solving, and also closely related to personality development.

[0039] By covering the whole brain with the cover, the array of near-infrared irradiation units 2 emits near-infrared light to all brain regions of the patient's head together, at least including the frontal lobe, temporal lobe and hippocampus, so as to comprehensively and thoroughly perform phototherapy on the cortical partitions involved in the lesion, thereby achieving better therapeutic effect (which will be verified by clinical experiments and clinical data in the following). In some embodiments, the array of near-infrared irradiation units 2 is configured to emit the near-infrared light to the frontal lobe and temporal lobe at a higher average power density than other brain regions, so as to enhance the therapeutic effect on the focus frontal lobe and temporal lobe.

[0040] In some embodiments, the array of near-infrared irradiation units 2 is configured to emit near-infrared light to brain network nodes, which can include at least one of the medial prefrontal cortex, the medial temporal lobe, the cingulate cortex, the precuneus, and the inferior parietal lobe. Studies have shown that the functional connectivity between each of the brain network nodes of the medial prefrontal cortex, the medial temporal lobe, the cingulate cortex, the precuneus, and the inferior parietal lobe is related to the development of AD. For example, when constructing a brain network for an AD patient, it is found that the functional connectivity between the hippocampus in the medial temporal lobe and the nodes of the brain network such as the medial prefrontal cortex and the precuneus is significantly weakened compared to normal people. In some AD patients, the functional connectivity results show that the hippocampus has lost connectivity with some brain network nodes. Configuring the array of near-infrared irradiation units 2 to emit near-infrared light to the above brain network nodes can enhance the brain functional connectivity between these brain network nodes, improve the collaborative work and information transmission capability between brain regions, and improve memory and cognitive function. Specifically, the brain network can be constructed and each node of the brain network can be determined based on brain function imaging and / or brain structure imaging of the patient's head. For example, a brain network can be established by MRI images. The brain network can include multiple nodes with brain regions as nodes. Each node corresponds to a different brain region, or multiple nodes can be provided on one brain region. The nodes have functional connectivity. The functional connectivity between the node pairs can be used to represent the collaborative work and information transmission between brain regions.

[0041] In a specific embodiment, the brain network nodes include at least the hippocampus in the medial temporal lobe. The array of near-infrared irradiation units 2 is configured to emit near-infrared light to the hippocampus and brain network nodes whose functional connectivity with the hippocampus is weaker than a predetermined level. In this way, targeted local irradiation is performed on the nodes of the brain network nodes whose functional connectivity is imbalanced (i.e., the functional connectivity is weaker than a predetermined level, such as weaker than a normal level or lost functional connectivity). For example, near-infrared light with an average power density greater than 70 mW / cm 2 of the brain network nodes. Emitting near-infrared light only to these brain network nodes can reduce heat production, reduce the requirement for cooling mechanisms, and make it easier for the patient's head to be in a more comfortable environment, thereby improving comfort.

[0042] In some embodiments, the array of near-infrared irradiation units 2 is configured to emit near-infrared light to the brain network nodes including the medial prefrontal cortex, the hippocampus in the medial temporal lobe, the anterior cingulate cortex, the precuneus, and the inferior parietal lobe. In this way, the functional connectivity between each node in the brain network can be enhanced, and better treatment effect for AD can be achieved.

[0043] It is understandable that when using the array of near-infrared irradiation units 2 to target and irradiate nodes of the brain network, for a pair of nodes with functional connectivity imbalance, one node can be irradiated, or the pair of nodes (i.e., both nodes) can be irradiated simultaneously. In particular, when one node in a pair of nodes is located deep in the brain and is difficult to irradiate, such as the hippocampus located deep in the brain, the other node in the pair that is easier to irradiate can be irradiated. This can also indirectly affect the other node located deep in the brain and achieve a certain phototherapy effect. This application does not make specific limitations on the irradiation method of brain network nodes.

[0044] Figure 6 A perspective view of a headgear for a light therapy device for treating Alzheimer's disease according to an embodiment of this application is shown. Figure 6 As shown, the cover 1 can have a left protruding ear and a right protruding ear 8, the left protruding ear being... Figure 6 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 5 The brain region distribution shown indicates that the temporal lobe extends towards the ear, and this extension is covered by the left and right lateral convex ear 8 and receives sufficient near-infrared light illumination.

[0045] In some embodiments, the left and right convex auricles 8 can be configured such that, even when the head rotates within a preset angle range and moves up and down within a preset distance range during treatment, the near-infrared irradiation units 2 (as shown in Figure 1(b)) deployed on the left and right convex auricles 8 can still irradiate the patient's temporal lobe. Specifically, the left and right convex auricles 8 can be designed to extend to the surrounding area of ​​the head corresponding to the temporal lobe, retaining a margin relative to the temporal lobe associated with the preset angle and distance ranges. Thus, even when the patient needs to rotate or move due to voluntary movement or uncontrollable tremors, their temporal lobe can always be adequately irradiated, thereby ensuring the treatment effect.

[0046] The left and right side ear lobe portions 8 can extend towards the patient's ears, and in some embodiments, can extend below the patient's ears, so that the near-infrared light emitted by the near-infrared irradiation units 2 disposed on the left and right side ear lobe portions 8 can not only thoroughly irradiate the left and right side temporal lobes, but also irradiate the hippocampus via the ear canal. Note that the ear canal extends from the ear to the deep hippocampus, and the light transmission distance from the ear canal to the hippocampus is much smaller than the light transmission distance from the frontal lobe to the hippocampus, and the attenuation of the ear canal to near-infrared light is much smaller than the attenuation of the skull to near-infrared light, so that the hippocampus located in the deep brain can also be sufficiently irradiated by near-infrared light. The hippocampus is closely related to the development of AD, and by allowing sufficient near-infrared light energy to reach the frontal lobe and the temporal lobe, the hippocampus can also be reached, which can significantly improve the function of brain mitochondria and ATP levels, promote the decomposition of amyloid beta (Aβ), reduce the deposition of Aβ, reduce damage to nerve cells, improve the repair and regeneration ability of nerve tissue, improve cognitive ability, and make the light therapy effect on AD more significant.

[0047] In some embodiments, the cover 1 comprises a forehead portion 9, and has a curved connection portion 10 between the forehead portion 9 and the left and right side ear lobe portions 8, so that the lower edges of the left and right side ear lobe portions 8, the forehead portion 9 and the right side ear lobe portion 8 are connected in a curve to form a whole, thereby completely covering the left and right side temporal lobes of the patient. As shown in the brain region distribution, Figure 5 the curved connection portion 10 can cover this part and provide sufficient near-infrared light irradiation. The inventor found that as AD develops, the lesion spreads to various parts of the temporal lobe, and providing thorough and sufficient near-infrared light irradiation to each part can achieve more effective therapeutic effect. Sometimes, it is not possible to determine the specific part of the temporal lobe affected by the lesion without brain function imaging, and obtaining brain function imaging is costly for the patient. In addition, the head shape, size, etc. of each patient are different, and when actually wearing the light therapy device, 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 externally. Therefore, by the combined design of the left and right side ear lobe portions 8 together with the curved connection portion 10, the lesion affected by each part can be completely covered, thereby achieving more effective therapeutic effect, and without the need to distract the attention of the accompanying personnel or the patient himself, the work burden can be reduced.

[0048] In some embodiments, the lower edge of the front portion of the cap 1 is gently curved, and the middle portion of the lower edge extends downward relative to the two side portions, for guiding the user to wear the lower edge to the glabella. This middle-low and two-side-high curve matches the configuration of the glabella, and according to the daily habits (for example, the habit of wearing glasses), the user will naturally pull the lower edge of this curve close to the glabella, so that the entire forehead can be irradiated, and the doctor or patient can visually confirm that the wearing position is appropriate. For the cap 1 with a loose design, this middle-low and two-side-high curve also guides the user's forehead to actively approach the cap 1 when wearing. This close enough to the forehead wearing position is appropriate because the frontal lobe is the key treatment area that needs to ensure the irradiation effect, and by sticking the lower edge of the curve to the glabella, the patient and the doctor can confirm that the appropriate wearing position has been reached, and the patient will consciously maintain the appropriate wearing position.

[0049] Returning to FIG. 1(b), at least part of the near-infrared irradiation units 2 can independently adjust the irradiation parameters, which at least include the average power density. For example, the irradiation parameters of each near-infrared irradiation unit 2 can be independently controlled, that is, the irradiation parameters are adjusted in units of near-infrared irradiation units 2. The near-infrared irradiation unit 2 can include a group of multiple near-infrared light-emitting diodes 2a, so as to flexibly and efficiently control the irradiation parameters of all near-infrared light-emitting diodes 2a. The irradiation parameters can include pulse frequency, waveform, duty cycle, etc. in addition to the average power density. In other embodiments, the irradiation parameters of every two near-infrared irradiation units 2 can be independently controlled, which can be determined according to the actual irradiation requirements. 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.

[0050] In some embodiments, the array of near-infrared irradiation units 2 is configured to emit near-infrared light with a center wavelength of 800-820 nm to the head of the patient. Studies have found that it is more appropriate and effective to use single-wavelength near-infrared light with a center wavelength of 800-820 nm.

[0051] Figure 2(a) shows a comparison of energy deposition in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) of individuals of different ages under near-infrared light of various wavelengths according to embodiments of this application. Figure 2(b) shows a comparison of energy deposition in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) of individuals of different ages under near-infrared light of various wavelengths according to embodiments of this application. As shown in Figures 2(a) and 2(b), for energy deposition in both the dlPFC and vmPFC cortical regions across different age ranges, a center wavelength of 810 nm is superior to that of 670 nm, 850 nm, 980 nm, and 1064 nm, with 1064 nm and 850 nm being the next best. Simulation experiments verify that the energy deposition of other wavelengths of near-infrared light with center wavelengths in the 800-820 nm range also achieves better results than that of 670 nm, 850 nm, 980 nm, and 1064 nm.

[0052] The near-infrared irradiation unit 2 in this embodiment uses a single-wavelength near-infrared light with a center wavelength of 800-820nm for irradiation. Its center wavelength is neither in the peripheral wavelength range of 670nm (e.g., 630-750nm) nor in the peripheral wavelength range of 980nm (e.g., 900-1020nm), thereby achieving optimized energy deposition. Furthermore, the near-infrared light irradiated by the near-infrared irradiation unit 2 in this embodiment does not depend on dual-wavelength or multi-wavelength irradiation. A single wavelength with a center wavelength of approximately 810nm can achieve good therapeutic effects as long as the power density is appropriate, as confirmed by animal experimental data and clinical data provided below.

[0053] Figure 3 The diagram illustrates the absorption curves of near-infrared light of different wavelengths in water, deoxyhemoglobin, and oxyhemoglobin proteins according to embodiments of this application. Figure 3 As shown, when using wavelengths of 950nm-1000nm, near-infrared light has a high absorption rate in water, but a very low absorption rate in deoxyhemoglobin, far lower than the absorption rate of near-infrared light with wavelengths around 810nm in deoxyhemoglobin. Figure 3 As can be seen, the absorption rate of near-infrared light in the wavelength range of 800-820nm is relatively balanced in both deoxygenated and oxyhemoglobin, and is significantly higher than that in water. For the same therapeutic target area, if near-infrared light of the same power density is used for irradiation, it is obviously better to use a single wavelength of around 810nm than to use dual wavelengths such as 760nm-860nm and 950-1000nm. The absorption effect of oxyhemoglobin and deoxygenated hemoglobin is better, and the therapeutic effect is also better. The array of single-wavelength near-infrared irradiation unit 2 is also cheaper and easier to control.

[0054] The near-infrared light can include pulsed light. Using pulsed light of a single frequency in an appropriate frequency range has a good irradiation effect, which can be in the frequency band of alpha waves (e.g., 10 Hz) or in the frequency band of gamma waves (e.g., 40 Hz). 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 30-100 Hz. Preferably, the first pulse frequency is 10 Hz, and the second pulse frequency is 40 Hz. The present application finds that using appropriate frequencies, such as but not limited to the frequency bands of alpha waves and gamma waves, has a better irradiation effect than other frequencies. The pulsed light includes alpha waves and gamma waves 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 ways. For example, alpha waves and gamma waves 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 alpha waves and gamma waves, thereby achieving a mixed waveform (pulsed light 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, alpha waves and gamma waves 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 alpha waves and gamma waves, which is a mixed mode of pure spatial coincidence. In some embodiments, each of the first group of near-infrared light-emitting diodes 2a can be controlled to emit pulsed light of alpha waves, and each of the second group of near-infrared light-emitting diodes 2a can be controlled to synchronously emit pulsed light of gamma waves, 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 of only time coincidence, so that pulsed light of specific frequency and waveform can be provided to different brain regions.

[0055] Please note that the loose and open head cap in the present application is used as a carrier for irradiating pulsed light of multiple frequencies, but the present application is not limited thereto, and other structures of head caps, such as head caps that fit the head, or non-head-cap wearing devices, such as but not limited to glasses, etc., can also be used as carriers to irradiate pulsed light of multiple frequencies to the brain of a patient.

[0056] In some embodiments, the pulse frequency of the near-infrared irradiation units 2 is adjustable, where the adjustable range is 0 Hz-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. Thus, when the user uses the light treatment device to implement light treatment, the user can determine a more appropriate pulse frequency according to the degree of illness, the target brain region, etc. to achieve better light treatment effect.

[0057] The present application also provides a headgear of a light treatment device for treating Alzheimer's disease. As shown in FIG. 1(a) and FIG. 1(b), the headgear includes a cover 1 which loosely accommodates the head of a patient so that the head can rotate within a preset angle range and move up and down within a preset distance range during treatment. The headgear also includes an array of near-infrared irradiation units 2 arranged in the cover 1, which is configured to emit near-infrared light to the head of the patient. In some embodiments, each near-infrared irradiation unit 2 can include a plurality of near-infrared light-emitting diodes 2a. The headgear can also include a cold air transmission inner cavity 5 arranged in the cover 1 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 head of the patient, so that the cold air generated by a refrigerator 3 outside the headgear is sent into the cold air transmission inner cavity 5 and blown to the head of the patient via the passage 7 to dissipate heat from the head of the patient.

[0058] Now back to FIG. 1(b), the specific implementation of the near-infrared irradiation units 2 and the cooling mechanism 4 in the headgear of the light treatment device for treating Alzheimer's disease is illustrated.

[0059] As shown in FIG. 1(b), the headgear can include a cover 1 which loosely accommodates the head of a patient so that the head can rotate within a preset angle range and move up and down within a preset distance range during treatment. The implementation of the cover 1 described in various embodiments of the present application in combination with the light treatment device can be combined here, which is not described here.

[0060] The headgear 1 can include an array of near-infrared irradiation units 2 arranged in the cover 1, each near-infrared irradiation unit 2 including a plurality of near-infrared light-emitting diodes 2a, the array of near-infrared irradiation units 2 being configured to emit near-infrared light to the head of the patient. The implementation of the array of near-infrared irradiation units 2 described in various embodiments of the present application can be combined here.

[0061] The headgear 1 is also equipped with a cooling component for use in conjunction with an external refrigerator 3 and a cold air delivery pipe 12 to form a cooling mechanism 4 that can adequately dissipate heat from the patient's head. Specifically, as shown in FIG1(b), the array adjacent to the near-infrared irradiation unit 2 in the cover 1 is provided with a cold air delivery cavity 5 and a passage 7 leading from the cold air delivery cavity 5 to the patient's head, so that cold air generated by the refrigerator 3 outside the headgear (e.g., via the cold air delivery pipe 12) is sent into the cold air delivery cavity 5 and blown towards the patient's head through the passage 7 to dissipate heat from the patient's head.

[0062] Referring to Figures 1(a) and 1(b), the cover 1 includes an outer layer 12a and a transparent cover 13 as an inner layer. A cold air transmission cavity 5 is formed between the outer layer 12a and the transparent cover 13. The transparent cover 13 has multiple ventilation holes 6, so that each ventilation hole 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 ventilation holes 6 can be grouped to distribute the cold air blowing towards the head more evenly from all sides, making elderly AD patients feel comfortable and cooperate with treatment.

[0063] The near-infrared irradiation unit 2 can be implemented in various ways. For example, it can be a lamp plate 2b carrying multiple near-infrared light-emitting diodes 2a (as shown in Figure 1(b)). The multiple ventilation holes 6 are distributed in groups (as shown in Figure 1(a)) and can be implemented as a multi-point array, so that each group of ventilation holes 6 corresponds to each lamp plate 2b. The gaps directly opposite the lamp plate 2b are where the temperature rises significantly. The ventilation holes 6 corresponding to each lamp plate 2b can deliver cool air in a targeted manner to efficiently reduce the heat in these gaps. Moreover, the cool air can be discharged smoothly and evenly from each ventilation hole 6, uniformly dissipating heat from the scalp and further improving patient comfort.

[0064] The outer layer 12a of the cover 1 includes a hot air extraction cavity 14, which at least houses a circuit 15 and is connected to an air inlet 16 (e.g., Figure 4 As shown, the air inlet 16 and outlet 17 are connected to the outside, so that the air introduced through the air inlet 16 carries the heat generated by the circuit 15 and is discharged to the outside through the air outlet 17. The inventors noted that the array of near-infrared irradiation units 2 is configured with an average power density greater than 40 mW / cm². 2In some cases, the heat generated by circuit 15 can be very high, and sometimes the local heat generated by circuit 15 is significantly higher than the heat generated by the photothermal conversion of near-infrared LED 2a. Therefore, a heat extraction cavity 14 is provided to efficiently remove heat, thereby preventing a large amount of local heat generated by circuit 15 from being conducted to the near-infrared LED 2a side or even the head side, thus improving heat dissipation efficiency. In some embodiments, a heat-conducting plate can be provided on the outside of circuit 15 to guide heat to be transferred and discharged to the outside.

[0065] In some embodiments, the hot air extraction cavity 14 and the cold air transmission cavity 5 are independent of each other. This prevents the heat generated by the circuit 15 from spreading to the cold air transmission cavity 5, thereby adversely affecting the heat dissipation effect on the gap between the head and the transparent cover 13.

[0066] As shown in Figures 1(a) and 1(b), the cold air transmission cavity 5 has a transparent partition 18 on its outer side, and each lamp plate 2b is located outside the transparent partition 18. The transparent partition 18 can completely separate the hot air extraction cavity 14 from the cold air transmission cavity 5, thus preventing the transmitted cold air from entering the hot air extraction cavity 14, allowing the cold air to act more effectively on the gap between the head and the transparent cover 13, improving the heat dissipation effect on the gap.

[0067] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the overall structure of a phototherapy device for treating Alzheimer's disease according to an embodiment of this application is shown. Figure 7 As shown, the phototherapy device may further include a user terminal 19, which can be configured for interactive operation by a user. A computer storage medium can be configured in the user terminal 19, storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, enable various interactive steps with the user. The storage medium may 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.

[0068] In some embodiments, the user terminal 19 may be configured to: acquire the patient's physiological parameters, including age, translucency of extracerebral tissues, and biochemical parameters related to Alzheimer's disease; generate a suggested infrared light therapy plan for the patient based on the acquired physiological parameters, and display it to the user.

[0069] In some embodiments, the user terminal 19 is further configured to receive a confirmation operation of the user on the recommended near-infrared light treatment scheme; 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 near-infrared light treatment scheme.

[0070] Specifically, the controller (not shown) for controlling the irradiation can be located on the user terminal 19 or on the headgear, and the user terminal 19 sends an execution instruction containing the confirmed near-infrared light treatment scheme to the controller on the headgear. The controller can be implemented by various processors, which can be processing devices including one or more general-purpose processing devices, such as microprocessors, central processing units (CPUs), graphics processing units (GPUs), 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 chip (SoC), etc. Preferably, most of the operations and processing are concentrated on the user terminal 19, and the operation load and software and hardware costs of the headgear are reduced.

[0071] In some embodiments, the light treatment device further comprises a support 20, as shown in FIG. 2(a) and FIG. 2(b). The cover 1 is connected to the support 20 by an elastic member 21, which provides a certain activity allowance for the head of the AD patient during treatment, so that the patient's head has higher freedom of movement, which can further improve comfort and improve the patient's experience. Figure 7

[0072] The inventors conducted in vivo experiments on 5-month-old AD mice using light therapy. The center wavelength of the single-wavelength near-infrared light used was 800-820 nm, the pulse frequency was 10 Hz, the irradiation frequency was once a day, each duration was 10 minutes, and the duration was 5 weeks. The AD mice receiving light therapy (also referred to as the experimental group) and the control group AD mice (also referred to as the control group) showed significant improvement in the water maze experiment, as shown in FIG. 3(a) and FIG. 3(b). The experimental group significantly shortened the navigation distance to find the platform compared to the control group, and the experimental group shortened the escape latency by 36% compared to the control group. Moreover, the distribution of Aβ protein analyzed after sampling the brain tissue of the experimental group, including both the cortical region and the hippocampal CA1 region, was significantly less than that of the control group, as shown in FIG. 4(a) and FIG. 4(b). Figure 8 Figure 9 ​​The research believes that the accumulation of amyloid β (Aβ) protein, which is produced by amyloid precursor protein (APP) cleavage, in the extracellular is an important factor of the pathogenesis of AD, and the extensive Aβ plaque deposition in the cerebral cortex and the neurofibrillary tangles caused by the tau protein lesion in the cortex are the significant pathological markers of AD. Therefore, the significantly reduced Aβ plaque deposition of the experimental group after the above near-infrared light irradiation treatment means a good treatment effect on AD.

[0073] The inventors conducted a clinical experiment on the light therapy of AD patients by using the light treatment device according to the embodiment of the present application, using single-wavelength near-infrared light with a center wavelength of 810 nm and an average power density greater than 40 mW / cm 2 , an irradiation frequency of 5-7 times per week, each time for 30 minutes, and a duration of 4 months. Preferably, the average power density in the frontal lobe and temporal lobe, which are the key areas, is about 90-120 mW / cm 2 , and the average power density of most areas is 100 mW / cm 2 . Preferably, the average power density in the parietal lobe and occipital lobe is greater than 60 mW / cm 2 .

[0074] The results of the mid-term clinical experiment are shown in Table 1. Figure 10 Figure 10 The comparative chart of the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-cognitive subscale (ADAS-cog) scores of the AD patients in the treatment group and the control group after the light therapy of the AD patients by using the light treatment device according to the embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG. 2.

[0075] It can be seen that after the 2-month near-infrared light treatment, the total score of the ADAS-cog scale of the treatment group is reduced by 6.7 points on average compared with the baseline, and there is a significant statistical difference, while the total score of the ADAS-cog scale of the control group without the near-infrared light treatment is increased by 3 points after 2 months. The good treatment effect of the light treatment device according to the embodiment of the present application on AD is confirmed by the ADAS-cog score results.

[0076] In addition to the ADAS-cog score, the MMSE score is also analyzed in the present clinical experiment, and the total score of the MMSE score is 30, and the lower the score, the more serious the cognitive impairment. The baseline data of the MMSE score of the AD patients receiving the light treatment is 11.67 points, and the MMSE score after 2 months is 14.83 points, which is increased by 3.12 points on average compared with the baseline, indicating that the cognitive function of the AD patients is improved after the light treatment. The good treatment effect of the light treatment device according to the embodiment of the present application on AD is also confirmed by the MMSE score.

[0077] ​Furthermore, although example embodiments have been described herein, the scope of coverage of this patent will include any and all embodiments having equivalent elements, modifications, omissions, combinations (e.g., of the various embodiments

[0078] 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 as well, which will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the above description. Further, in the detailed description, various features can be grouped together to streamline the disclosure. This should not be interpreted as an intention that the claimed subject matter requires more features than are expressly identified in the claims. Rather, the inventive subject matter can lie in less than all features of a particular disclosed embodiment. Therefore, the following claims are hereby incorporated into the detailed description, where each claim by itself is stood alone as a separate embodiment, and these embodiments can be combined in various ways with each other. The scope of the application should be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. Consequently, the claims are hereby specifically incorporated into the specific embodiments in which each claim stands alone as a separate embodiment, and these embodiments can be combined in various combinations or permutations of the embodiments. The application is defined by the claims and their full scope of equivalents.

[0079] 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 Alzheimer's disease, characterized in that, The application comprises: a cover body, an inner side of which is provided with a transparent cover to loosely accommodate a patient's head, leaving a gap of 1 cm or several cm larger than 1 cm between the cover body and the patient's head, the head being able to rotate within a preset angle range and move up and down within a preset distance range during treatment; an array of near-infrared illumination units disposed in the housing, the array of near-infrared illumination units configured to emit, via the transparent cover, near-infrared light to a patient's head at an average power density greater than 40 mW / cm 2 and less than 250 mW / cm 2 ; and a cooling mechanism, which comprises a refrigerating machine, a cold air transmission inner cavity formed in the cover body by the transparent cover, and a passage from the cold air transmission inner cavity to the patient's head, and is configured to send cold air generated by the refrigerating machine into the cold air transmission inner cavity and blow the cold air from all directions to the patient's head via the passage to dissipate heat from the patient's head.

2. The light therapy device of claim 1, wherein, The gap is 1-2 cm.

3. The light therapy device of claim 1, wherein, The cover body has a fixed structure and size to loosely accommodate the patient's head, so that the lateral movable interval of the patient's head during treatment is 1-2 cm.

4. Light therapy device according to any of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The cover body is configured to cover at least the whole brain.

5. Light therapy device according to any of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The cover body has left and right ear lobe portions to cover the left and right temporal lobes of the patient, respectively, and each of the left and right ear lobe portions is provided with a near-infrared irradiation unit to emit near-infrared light to the covered temporal lobe area.

6. The light therapy device of claim 5, wherein, The left and right ear lobe portions are configured to extend downward below the patient's ears.

7. The light therapy device of claim 5, wherein, The cover body includes a forehead portion and has a curved connection portion between the forehead portion and the left and right ear lobe portions, so that the lower edges of the left ear lobe portion, the forehead portion, and the right ear lobe portion are connected in a curve to form an integrated whole, thereby completely covering the left and right temporal lobes of the patient.

8. The light therapy device of claim 5, wherein, The left and right ear lobe portions are configured such that, when the head rotates within a preset angle range and moves up and down within a preset distance range during treatment, the near-infrared irradiation units arranged on the left and right ear lobe portions can still irradiate the patient's temporal lobes.

9. Light therapy device according to any of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The lower edge of the front portion of the cover body is in a gentle curve, and the middle portion of the lower edge extends downward relative to the two side portions, for guiding a user to wear the lower edge to the brow bone.

10. Light therapy device according to any of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The array of near-infrared irradiation units is configured to emit near-infrared light with a central wavelength of 800-820 nm to the patient's head.

11. Light therapy device according to any of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The array of near-infrared irradiation units is configured to emit near-infrared light with a single wavelength of 810 nm to the patient's head.

12. Light therapy device according to any of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The array of near-infrared irradiation units is configured to emit the near-infrared light to the frontal lobe and the temporal lobe with an average power density higher than that of other brain regions.

13. The light therapy device of claim 12, wherein, The average power density of the near-infrared light emitted toward the frontal and temporal lobes is 50 mW / cm 2 up to 150 mW / cm 2 .

14. Light therapy device according to any of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The array of near-infrared irradiation units is configured to emit the near-infrared light to all brain regions of the patient's head together.

15. The light therapy device of claim 14, wherein, In the case where the array of near-infrared irradiation units emits the near-infrared light to all brain regions of the patient's head together, the total power of the near-infrared light is greater than 3 W.

16. The light therapy device of any one of claims 1-3, wherein, The array of near-infrared irradiation units is configured to emit near-infrared light to nodes of a brain network, the nodes including at least one of the medial prefrontal cortex, the medial temporal lobe, the cingulate cortex, the precuneus, and the inferior parietal lobe.

17. The light therapy device of claim 16, wherein, The nodes of the brain network at least include hippocampus located in the medial temporal lobe, and the array of near-infrared irradiation units is configured to emit near-infrared light to the hippocampus and the nodes of the brain network whose functional connection strength with the hippocampus is weaker than a predetermined level.

18. The light therapy device of claim 16, wherein, The array of near-infrared irradiation units is configured to emit near-infrared light to the nodes of the brain network including the medial prefrontal cortex, the hippocampus located in the medial temporal lobe, the anterior cingulate cortex, the precuneus and the inferior parietal lobe together.

19. Light therapy device according to any of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The cooling mechanism cools the head of the patient, so that the temperature near the scalp of the patient is 23-43 degrees Celsius.

20. The light therapy device of any one of claims 1-3, wherein, The cooling mechanism cools the head of the patient, so that the temperature near the scalp of the patient is 25-40 degrees Celsius.

21. The light therapy device of any one of claims 1-3, wherein, The average power density is determined according to at least one of the following parameters of the patient: According to the light transmittance of the extracerebral tissue of the patient, so that the average power density of the patient with low extracerebral tissue light transmittance is higher than that of the patient with high extracerebral tissue light transmittance.

22. The light therapy device of any one of claims 1-3, wherein, The irradiation parameters of at least part of the near-infrared irradiation units, including the average power density, can be independently adjusted.

23. Light therapy device according to any of claims 1-3, characterized in that, Further comprising a user terminal configured to: obtain physiological parameters of the patient, including age, light transmittance of extracerebral tissue and Alzheimer's disease-related biochemical parameters; Based on the obtained physiological parameters of the patient, generate a recommended infrared light treatment plan for the patient, and display it to the user.

24. The light therapy device of claim 23, wherein, The user terminal is further configured to receive a user confirmation operation on the recommended infrared light treatment plan; after receiving the confirmation operation, each near-infrared irradiation unit performs irradiation according to the confirmed infrared light treatment plan.

25. The light therapy device of any one of claims 1-3, wherein, The light treatment device is used for treating Alzheimer's patients with emotional agitation and anxiety.

26. The light therapy device of any one of claims 1-3, wherein, The light treatment device is used for treating patients with Alzheimer's disease and psychological barriers to closed or crowded spaces.

27. The light therapy device of any one of claims 1-3, wherein, The near-infrared light is pulsed light, and the irradiation parameters of the near-infrared irradiation unit further include a pulse frequency, the pulsed light includes a pulse wave component with a first pulse frequency and / or a pulse wave component with a second pulse frequency, the first pulse frequency is 7-13 Hz, and the second pulse frequency is 30-100 Hz.

28. The light therapy device of claim 27, wherein, The first pulse frequency is 10 Hz, and the second pulse frequency is 40 Hz.

29. The light therapy device of claim 27, wherein, Each near-infrared irradiation unit includes a plurality of near-infrared light-emitting diodes, the pulsed light includes a pulse wave component with an alpha wave frequency and a pulse wave component with a gamma wave frequency as the first pulse frequency and the second pulse frequency, respectively, and is formed by any one of the following ways: The waveform of the pulsed light emitted by each near-infrared light-emitting diode is formed by synchronous aliasing of alpha waves and gamma waves; The waveform of the pulsed light emitted by each near-infrared light-emitting diode is formed by time-sharing combination of alpha waves and gamma waves; Each near-infrared light-emitting diode in the first group of near-infrared light-emitting diodes emits pulsed light of alpha waves, each near-infrared light-emitting diode in the second group of near-infrared light-emitting diodes emits pulsed light of gamma waves, and the two groups of near-infrared light-emitting diodes emit pulsed light synchronously.

30. The light therapy device of any one of claims 1-3, wherein, The average power density emitted is 40 mW / cm 2 - 150 mW / cm 2 .

31. The light therapy device of claim 15, wherein, The total power is greater than 10 W.

32. The light therapy device of any one of claims 1-3, wherein, The cover body comprises an outer layer and the transparent cover as an inner layer, the cold air transmission inner cavity is formed between the outer layer and the transparent cover, and a plurality of air holes are formed on the transparent cover so that each air hole, together with the gap between the transparent cover and the patient's head, forms the passage.

33. The light therapy device of claim 32, wherein, The near-infrared irradiation unit is a lamp panel carrying a plurality of near-infrared light-emitting diodes, and the plurality of air holes are formed in groups so that each group of air holes corresponds to each lamp panel.

34. The light therapy device of claim 32, wherein, The outer layer of the cover body comprises a hot air extraction inner cavity, the hot air extraction inner cavity at least contains a circuit, and is communicated with 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 circuit and is discharged to the outside through the air outlet.

35. The light therapy device of claim 34, wherein, The hot air extraction inner cavity and the cold air transmission inner cavity are independent of each other.

36. The light therapy device of claim 33, wherein, The cold air transmission inner cavity has a transparent partition plate on the outside, and each lamp panel is located on the outside of the transparent partition plate.

37. The light treatment device of any one of claims 1-3, wherein, The wind speed of the cold air blowing towards the patient's head through the passage is 0.5-3.5 m / s.

38. The light treatment device of any one of claims 1-3, wherein, The light treatment device further comprises a support, and the cover body is connected with the support through an elastic member.

39. The light treatment device of any one of claims 1-3, wherein, The near-infrared light is pulsed light, and the irradiation parameters of the near-infrared irradiation unit further comprise an adjustable pulse frequency, and the adjustable range of the pulse frequency is 0 Hz-100 Hz.

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