Laser phototherapy emerges as an alternative or auxiliary therapy for acute ischemic stroke, traumatic brain injury, degenerative brain disease, spinal cord injury, and peripheral nerve regeneration, but its effects are still controversial. We have previously found that laser phototherapy immunomodulates the response to focal brain damage. Following direct cortical cryogenic injury the effects of laser phototherapy on inflammation and repair was assessed after cryogenic injury (CI) to the central nervous system (CNS) of rats. The laser phototherapy was carried out with a 780nm AlGaAs diode laser. The irradiation parameters were: power of 40mW, beam area of 0.04cm², energy density of 3J/cm² (3s) in two points (0.12J per point). Two irradiations were performed at 3h-intervals, in contact mode. Rats (20 non-irradiated – controls and 20 irradiated) were used. The wound healing in the CNS was followed in 6h, 1, 7 and 14days after the last irradiation. The size of the lesions, the neuron cell viability percentages and the amount of positive GFAP labeling were statistically compared by ANOVA complemented by Tukey’s test (p<0.05). The distribution of lymphocytes, leukocytes and macrophages were also analyzed. CI created focal lesions in the cortex represented by necrosis, edema, hemorrhage and inflammatory infiltrate. The most striking findings were: lased lesions showed smaller tissue loss than control lesions in 6h. During the first 24h the amount of viable neurons was significantly higher in the lased group. There was a remarkable increase in the amount of GFAP in the control group by 14days. Moreover, the lesions of irradiated animals had fewer leukocytes and lymphocytes in the first 24h than controls. Considering the experimental conditions of this study it was concluded that laser phototherapy exerts its effect in wound healing following CI by controlling the brain damage, preventing neuron death and severe astrogliosis that could indicate the possibility of a better clinical outcome.