Exploring a new way to support people living with epilepsy
PBMRise is exploring how light therapy, also known as photobiomodulation (PBM), may help improve well-being and quality of life for people living with epilepsy.
Living with epilepsy can be very stressful due to the brain’s electrical changes, taking medications, and the social and emotional issues of living with a chronic medical condition. When your body is under stress (physical, mental, or emotional), it releases stress hormones, which impact the functioning of your entire body, including your brain. Stress can lower your seizure threshold, making it more likely to have a seizure. Our research team aims to investigate whether PBM, a safe and non-invasive light treatment, can enhance the brain's response to stress and promote overall brain health.
As part of the study, participants will also use the Õura ring, a comfortable and easy-to-wear device that tracks sleep, heart rate, body temperature, and activity patterns. This information will help us understand how low-light therapy may impact daily rhythms, stress levels, and overall recovery.
We will also include metabolic testing to learn more about how light therapy may influence the body’s energy systems and brain function. Together, this information may help uncover new complementary ways to support people who live with epilepsy.
Our goal is to explore new approaches that can work alongside current epilepsy treatments, helping individuals living with epilepsy feel better, manage stress, and potentially improve their everyday quality of life.
This groundbreaking research will be located at four sites: Cincinnati, OH; Houston, TX; Miami, FL; and Warren, OH.
PBMRise would like to thank Epilepsy Wellness Advocates (EWA) for funding this important research and Saybrook University for overseeing the grant.
WHAT IS
PHOTOBIOMODULATION?
Photobiomodulation (PBM) utilizes light to facilitate the body's natural healing process. This light helps the cells in our body make more energy. It does not hurt; in fact, you may only feel a low level of heat during the treatments. This boost in energy may help you manage stress. PBM is being researched for potential benefits in reducing the impact of stress associated with many brain disorders.
PBM is a gentle red/near-infrared light delivered to the brain through the scalp and nasal passage with a safe headset. To support cell health, the light, being a vibration, invites your neurons to vibrate at the same rate. This encourages functional changes in your brain to help you manage stress more effectively.
Safety Measures: The light levels emitted are within safety standards. The device has timers & temperature limits. In this study, we carefully chose those frequencies that are most suited for the reduction of the brain’s response to stress.
Experimental Evidence: While PBM has a long history in treating skin, eye, and pain issues, its use with the brain is new and still experimental. There is no evidence that managing seizures in persons with epilepsy can be treated with this intervention. There is also no evidence that the intervention causes seizures. What we learn in this study will contribute to the growing scientific interest in using PBM for brain-based disorders.
The Vielight PBM devices that we are using are not FDA-registered or FDA-cleared primarily because they have not undergone the FDA’s formal evaluation process required to determine safety and efficacy for the treatment or diagnosis of any specific medical condition. Devices marketed for “wellness,” “cognitive enhancement,” or “improved energy” can be used without FDA clearance if they do not claim to treat, cure,
or diagnose specific diseases.
Õura Ring
As part of the study, participants will also use the Õura ring, a comfortable and easy-to-wear device that tracks sleep, heart rate, body temperature, and activity patterns. This information will help us understand how low-light therapy may impact daily rhythms, stress levels, and overall recovery and may be used to show you the impact of stress and allow you to make healthier choices. You will need to wear this ring day and night while participating in the study.
Metabolic Testing
What we’re testing for and why
Cynthia Ron Steph Alexandra
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Principal Investigator, Napa, CA
Dr. Kerson has been involved in neuromodulatory research for over 20 years. She is the Associate Director at Saybrook University's Applied Psychophysiology Program and serves as the Director of APEd (Applied Psychophysiology Education).
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Co-Principal Investigator, Houston, TX
Ronald J. Swatzyna, PhD, received his Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy in Social Work from The University of Texas Arlington. Currently, he is the Director/Chief Scientist of Neurophysiology Research at Houston Neuroscience Brain Center and Founder of Clinical NeuroAnalytics, LLC. Dr. Swatzyna is a licensed clinical social worker and board certified in neurofeedback and biofeedback by the Biofeedback Certification International Alliance (BCIA).For the past 24 years, Dr. Swatzyna has analyzed and treated the most diagnostically challenging cases in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Eighteen years ago, he started acquiring electroencephalography (EEG) and quantitative EEG (qEEG) data to identify neurological causes for psychiatric symptoms. As a researcher, he has presented and/or published over 100 peer-reviewed papers on brain injury, dysfunction, psychiatric medication, and other related topics at national and international conferences.Dr. Swatzyna is the Chair of the Sigma Xi Institutional Review Board (IRB) and is a board member of the Rice University/Texas Medical Center Chapter. He is also a member of the Neuropsychiatric Electrophysiology Section of the World Psychiatric Association. Dr. Swatzyna is a retired City of Arlington, Texas professional Firefighter-EMT-I and a veteran of Vietnam and the first Gulf War. Finally, his personal battle with traumatic brain injuries and posttraumatic stress disorder has motivated him to become a leading expert in brain dysfunction and treatment.
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Co-Investigator, Cincinnati, OH
Steph specializes in making mental health measurable using the EEG, which then allows her to tailor an eclectic combination of brain trainings, psychotherapy, and metabolic changes to reduce symptoms in a meaningful, holistic, and long-lasting way. She is passionate about providing these highly specialized and expensive services to low income populations and has a nonprofit branch of her private practice to sponsor brains and break cycles.
She owns and clinically directs Right Mind Wellness Center in Cincinnati, OH, which moved locations last year to strategically partner with Pregnancy Center Plus and improve the mental health of low income pregnant, postabortive, and postnatal women and their partners from a brain-based perspective.
Steph remotely trains over 27 brains both nationally and internationally using home use EEGer neurofeedback and maintains a caseload of 30 in-office psychotherapy and neurotherapy appointments each week. She is simultaneously spearheading a recently approved research study evaluating the effects of photobiomodulation on stress-induced seizures in Epilepsy. Before this and in partnership with a sound engineer, Steph completed a project in 2024 that converted music into bilaterally stimulating brain wave signaling in order to change mood, sleep, and focus states.
Steph travels and Zooms to teach counseling and neurotherapy techniques and is a mentor with the BCIA for pre-certificants seeking their BCN. Steph is also fluent in Spanish and provides bilingual services.
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Co-Investigator, Houston, TX
Alexandra Roark, LCSW, BCN, is the Assistant Director and a Child & Adolescent Therapist at the Houston Neuroscience Brain Center. She earned her Master of Science in Social Work from The University of Texas at Austin and is currently pursuing her Doctorate in Applied Psychophysiology at Saybrook University. Alexandra is a licensed clinical social worker and board-certified in neurofeedback by the Biofeedback Certification International Alliance (BCIA). As a researcher, she has presented nationally and published peer-reviewed papers on brain dysfunction and related psychophysiological topics. She also serves as the Research Compliance Officer on the Sigma Xi Institutional Review Board of Directors.
Michael
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Co-Invetsigator, Medical Analyst
Michael completed his Doctor of Chiropractic from the original Palmer University in Iowa and went on to earn a board certification in Neurology from the American Chiropractic Association (ACA) Board of chiropractic neurology, and currently serves on the exam committee. He was medical director of a 100-bed destination wellness retreat center with a team of 30 staff and doctors. He taught neurology candidates in the preceptorship-internship program and in clinical neurology, neurological and physical examination, differential diagnosis, and clinical and molecular neurochemistry, and lectured widely and designed products for the health food industry.
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Co-Investigator, Warren, OH
Ronald J. Swatzyna, PhD, received his Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy in Social Work from The University of Texas Arlington. Currently, he is the Director/Chief Scientist of Neurophysiology Research at Houston Neuroscience Brain Center and Founder of Clinical NeuroAnalytics, LLC. Dr. Swatzyna is a licensed clinical social worker and board certified in neurofeedback and biofeedback by the Biofeedback Certification International Alliance (BCIA).For the past 24 years, Dr. Swatzyna has analyzed and treated the most diagnostically challenging cases in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Eighteen years ago, he started acquiring electroencephalography (EEG) and quantitative EEG (qEEG) data to identify neurological causes for psychiatric symptoms. As a researcher, he has presented and/or published over 100 peer-reviewed papers on brain injury, dysfunction, psychiatric medication, and other related topics at national and international conferences.Dr. Swatzyna is the Chair of the Sigma Xi Institutional Review Board (IRB) and is a board member of the Rice University/Texas Medical Center Chapter. He is also a member of the Neuropsychiatric Electrophysiology Section of the World Psychiatric Association. Dr. Swatzyna is a retired City of Arlington, Texas professional Firefighter-EMT-I and a veteran of Vietnam and the first Gulf War. Finally, his personal battle with traumatic brain injuries and posttraumatic stress disorder has motivated him to become a leading expert in brain dysfunction and treatment.
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Co-Investigator, Miami FL
IAlexandra Roark, LCSW, BCN, is the Assistant Director and a Child & Adolescent Therapist at the Houston Neuroscience Brain Center. She earned her Master of Science in Social Work from The University of Texas at Austin and is currently pursuing her Doctorate in Applied Psychophysiology at Saybrook University. Alexandra is a licensed clinical social worker and board-certified in neurofeedback by the Biofeedback Certification International Alliance (BCIA). As a researcher, she has presented nationally and published peer-reviewed papers on brain dysfunction and related psychophysiological topics. She also serves as the Research Compliance Officer on the Sigma Xi Institutional Review Board of Directors.
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Consultant
