PaoloCassanoMDPhD, Psychiatrist(He/Him)

Neuropsychiatry, Psychopharmacology, Integrative Psychiatry

Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School; Director of Photobiomodulation in the Division of Neuropsychiatry and Neuromodulation at Massachusetts General Hospital; in private practice at Paolo Cassano Health LLC.

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Office
149 13th Street
2612
Boston, MA 02129
Phone+1 617-643-9622

Fax+1 617-726-5780

Summary

With nearly three decades of experience in psychiatry, focusing on neuropsychiatric conditions that affect mood and cognition, my goal is to deliver new, effective therapies to those struggling with depression, anxiety, post-COVID syndromes, cognitive impairments, and more. With my extensive background in neuropsychopharmacology (and affiliations with Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Harvard Medical School as Director of Photobiomodulation and Associate Professor respectively), I always start with the most scientifically proven treatments. I ensure that my approach aligns with the latest, evidence-based standards. I practice both at the MGH Brain Photobiomodulation Clinic (tel. 617-726-5340; email: pbmclinic@mgh.harvard.edu) and at Paolo Cassano Health (tel. 617-294-9221; email: admin@paolocassanohealth.com).

Education & Training

Massachusetts General Hospital/McLean HospitalResidency, Psychiatry, 2005 - 2009
University of Pisa Faculty of MedicineClass of 1996

Certifications & Licensure

MA State Medical License 2009 - 2025
American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology Psychiatry

Clinical Trials

Transcranial Laser Therapy for Major Depressive Disorder Start of enrollment: 2012 Feb 01
Completed
Not Applicable
Transcranial Laser Therapy, Continuous and Pulsed Light, for Major Depressive Disorder (ELATED-3) Start of enrollment: 2016 Nov 01
Completed
Not Applicable
Transcranial Pulse Near-Infrared Light in Generalized Anxiety Disorder: a Placebo-Controlled Study Start of enrollment: 2018 Sep 24
Terminated
Not Applicable
Transcranial Near-Infrared Light in Healthy Subjects: a Cerebral Blood Flow Study With Diffuse Correlation Spectroscopy Start of enrollment: 2017 Aug 22
Completed
Not Applicable
Transcranial Photobiomodulation for Alzheimer's Disease (TRAP-AD) Start of enrollment: 2021 Apr 27
Recruiting
Phase 2
Roles: Contact, Principal Investigator
Transcranial Photobiomodulation With Near-Infrared Light for Language in Individuals With Down Syndrome Start of enrollment: 2021 Oct 19
Active, not recruiting
Not Applicable
Roles: Principal Investigator, Contact
Transcranial Photobiomodulation for Executive Function in Bipolar Disorder Start of enrollment: 2022 Aug 09
Completed
Phase 2
Roles: Contact, Sponsor-Investigator
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Publications & Presentations

PubMed

Wearable, self-administered transcranial photobiomodulation for major depressive disorder and sleep: A randomized, double blind, sham-controlled trial.
Ta-Wei Guu, Paolo Cassano, Wan-Jing Li, Yu-Hsiung Tseng, Wen-Yu Ho
Journal of Affective Disorders. 2025-03-01
Transcranial photobiomodulation increases cognition and serum BDNF levels in adults over 50 years: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.
Bruna H de Oliveira, Elisa F Lins, Naiara F Kunde, Afonso S I Salgado, Leidiane M Martins
Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology. B, Biology. 2024-11-01
1 citations
Dose-dependent effects of transcranial photobiomodulation on brain temperature in patients with major depressive disorder: a spectroscopy study.
Akila Weerasekera, David Richer Araujo Coelho, Eva-Maria Ratai, Katherine Anne Collins, Aura Maria Hurtado Puerto
Lasers in Medical Science. 2024-10-07

Press Mentions

Bioelectric Medicine Ready for Prime Time as Companies Advance TherapiesNovember 9th, 2020
Daylight Saving Time Ends: When Will Sun Set in Perry Hall?November 1st, 2020
Daylight Saving Time Ends: What Time the Sun Sets in WestfieldOctober 26th, 2020
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External Links

Psychology Todayhttps://www.psychologytoday.com/us/psychiatrists/paolo-cassano-boston-ma/1301555
YouTube Chanel on Brain PBMhttps://www.youtube.com/c/brainPBM
MGH Brain PBM Clinichttps://www.massgeneral.org/psychiatry/treatments-and-services/brain-photobiomodulation-clinic