near-infrared laser energy to treat ischemic stroke

I wonder if thick skulls would prevent the effects. What is the expected action the infrared is supposed to cause?
Whats the working hypothesis? This is it: Scientific Background of PhotoThera

Then there is this for Alzheimers:

Alzheimer's helmet stimulates growth of brain cells
http://www.photothera.com/clinical-trials
PhotoThera, Inc. is a medical device company whose platform technology seeks to employ penetrating near-infrared laser energy to treat a broad range of diseases and health conditions. The company is initially focused on the treatment of ischemic stroke and is engaged in a clinical study to investigate the effect of its Transcranial Laser Therapy (TLT) when used within 24 hours of the onset of stroke symptoms.
The link has the results for NEST-1 and NEST-2  trials
NEST-2 conclusions here:
Conclusions— TLT within 24 hours from stroke onset demonstrated safety but did not meet formal statistical significance for efficacy. However, all predefined analyses showed a favorable trend, consistent with the previous clinical trial (NEST-1). Both studies indicate that mortality and adverse event rates were not adversely affected by TLT. A definitive trial with refined baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale exclusion criteria is planned. (ok, it doesn't do anything positive but it isn't bad for you.)

Clinical Application	Study	Subjects	Study Type	Status
Ischemic Stroke	NeuroThera Effectiveness and Safety Trial-1 (NEST-1)	120	Placebo-controlled, Double Blind, Randomized 2:1	Complete
Ischemic Stroke	NeuroThera Effectiveness and Safety Trial-2 (NEST-2)	660	Placebo-controlled, Double Blind, Randomized 1:1	Complete
Ischemic Stroke	NeuroThera Efficacy and Safety Trial-3 (NEST-3)	1,000	Placebo-controlled, Double Blind, Randomized 1:1	Enrolling