Several studies about to start will explore whether near-infrared (NIR) light can improve symptoms of Parkinson9s disease—including a study in France in which a fiber optic cable implanted in patients9 brains will deliver NIR directly to the substantia nigra, a region that degenerates in Parkinson9s disease. Animal models and small tests in people have suggested benefits, but some mainstream Parkinson9s researchers are skeptical because it9s not clear exactly how light might protect the key neurons—or why it should have any effect at all on cells buried deep in the brain that never see the light of day. The encouraging hints seen so far in people could be the result of the placebo effect, skeptics say.

中文翻译：

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一种对抗帕金森氏症的新武器的试验开始了：光

几项即将开始的研究将探讨近红外 (NIR) 光是否可以改善帕金森病的症状——包括在法国的一项研究，在该研究中，植入患者大脑的光纤电缆将直接将 NIR 传送到黑质，这是一个退化的区域在帕金森病中。动物模型和人体小规模试验表明了益处，但一些主流帕金森研究人员持怀疑态度，因为尚不清楚光究竟如何保护关键神经元——或者为什么它应该对埋藏在大脑深处的细胞有任何影响，这些细胞根本看不见天光。怀疑论者说，迄今为止在人们身上看到的令人鼓舞的暗示可能是安慰剂效应的结果。