Extracellular field potentials were recorded in stratum pyramidate of CA3 in hippocampal slices prepared from male Sprague-Dawley rats. Electrical stimuli were delivered lo s. radiatum of CA3. After stable responses were established, stimulus trains were delivered every 5min until stable triggered and spontaneous population bursts were elicited. The slices were then irradiated with a low power (25 mW) argon laser. No changes in the morphology or number of epileptiform bursts were found while the laser was on. However, when the laser was turned eff. there was a highly significant reduction in frequency and morphology of bursts, These results indicate that exposure to light alters epileptiform activity within the hippocampus in vitro, and provides evidence indicating that the central nervous system is photosensitive.

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It is possible to increase the volume of mitochondria in certain types of nerve cells with free nerve endings which are semsotove to pain-producing substances. In order to achieve this increase. the substance must be- high-density, and be in contact with the cell for a prolonged period. There is also a positive correlation between the increase in the frequency of nerve impulses and the increase in the mitochondrial volume. In this study. bradykinin was used us the pain-producing subcutance. Three groups of animals were used. A high concentration of bradykinin was injected subcutaneously into the maxillary trigeminal dermatome of male Wistar rats over n 4-day period. One group received bradykinin only, one group received bradykinin to followed by irradiution with a diode laser, und a third group received only physiologic saline as a control. After the twelfth day. the animals were killed, The mitochondrial density of the trigeminal ganglion cclls and the synaptic glomeruli of the spinal trigeminal nucleus was checked. The volume was significantly high in group 1. but in group 2 was almost the same as the normal level of control group 3. A significant statistical difference was demonstrated, From these findings it is possible to conclude that the diode laser can reduce the pain-producing action of bradykinin in peripheral nerve tissue.

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The tongue of the Swiss muse is rich in mast cells (MC). Tongues of animals in the experimental group were irradiated using u He-Ne laser (2.4 J/cm², 632 nm), and a second set of unirradiated animals served as the control. Two output powers were used, with the irradiation time adjusted to produce the same energy dencity. The possible nonselective degranulation of LLLT-irradiated mast cells was examined quantitatively and morphometically using optic and electron microscopy. By means of radioimmunoassay, the histamisie content of pulverized tongue was evaluated, comparing the levels of both experimental and control tissue. The irradiated tongue tissue showed a significantly higher histamine level compared with the control. in addition, the level of histamine in the inlerstitial cellular medium and the degree of other histological changes such as vasodilation was significantly higher following a single irradiation with the He-Ne laser at the above settings, The observations from this study may serve as a further indication of a bioactivative effect of Lew reactive level laser therapy, a therapeutic process still not fully understood.

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Nineteen horses mainly with chronic inflammation of tendon and/or ligament that had not responded well to conventional medicine and methodologies. were treated by contact or acupuncture technique using a gallium alluminium arsenide (Ga-Al-As) diode laser (10 mW. 790 nm) without medicament, The treatments were performed every day or every other week. for 20 to 40 s en the affected area or acupoints. Of 19 cases. 12 (63.2 per cent) were cured, five (26.3 per cent) were improved and two (10.5 per cent) were unchanged. It was concluded that clinical application of low-level laser therapy. such as contact and/or laser acupuncture technique. is non-invasive and not painful for animals and is effective in pa{n suppression and improvement of inflammatory reaction. especially in acute and mild cases.

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One hundred and fourteen patients with prostatitis were treated with laser needle acupuncture (LNA) This new method was based on the combination of both the biological effects of laser radiation of the human body and the therapeutic action of traditional Chinese needle acupuncture. The new method has been shown to be safe, effective. and simple to apply, The cure rate was 55.3 per cent, with a total effective rate of 99.1 per cent. This new modality may well improve the treatment of this and other diseases. and may service to stimulate the development of the combination of laser and traditional acupuncture.

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In a 46-month term, 3635 patients presented for pain attenuation with a gallium aluminium arsenide diode laser (830 nm. 60 mW, continuous wave. exposure time and number of sessions varied patient by patient). The mean age of the patients was 53.8 years. Analysis. of subjective treatment assessment over the whole patient population showed an overall efficiency rate of 82.8%. A more detailed analysis of physiological and psychological effccts of laser therapy. both oral and by multi-part written questionnaire was administered to 1300 patients. all of whom required a minimum of 10 treatment sessions, The reply rate was 57.8%. or 752 patients. with a mean age of 57.2. The overall effective pain removal was assessed at 76%, with the treatment effect after a single irradiation lasting from nearly 9 h (16.5% of questionnaire respondents) to over 3 days (83,5%), From the questionnaire data it could be seen that the most efficient psychological improvements following laser therapy were in the areas of general well-being (67.6%). increased physical energy (60.2%) and improved steep (56.4%). Although this was not a controlled double blind study. the size of the population gives credence to the physiological and psychological effectiveness of the diode laser in pain therapy, even for the chronic type of pain.

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The clinical use of low reactive level laser therapy (LLLT) has been reported in several aspects of bioactivation. This study reports an investigation into the possible application or LLLT for the treatment of male infertility. Four azoospermic and 16 oligospemiic male patients were treated with a 6mW He-Ne/2.5 mW pulsed GaAs diode laser with a dose of 1.3 J/cm². Although no improvement was noted in the azoespermic subjects, the sperm count increased from 2 to 5 times in the oligospermic subjects. In addition. ejaculation of abnormal spermatozoa decreased in several subjects. Libido also increased in 15 of the 20 patients. From these findings it was concluded that LLLT offers a possible treatment for the oligospermic patient. particularly for the subfertile.

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