6,486 Studies Reviewed. 85.2% of Original Studies Found Biological Effects. The Evidence is Clear.
Shield Your Body
Brain & Nervous System

Changes in human EEG alpha activity following exposure to two different pulsed magnetic field sequences.

Bioeffects Seen

Cook CM, Saucier DM, Thomas AW, Prato FS. · 2009

View Original Abstract
Share:

Exposure to two different pulsed magnetic field sequences produced opposite changes in brain alpha activity over occipital-parietal regions.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers exposed 32 human subjects to two different pulsed magnetic field sequences that differed in presentation rate, to examine effects on the alpha frequency of the human EEG. Alpha activity was lowered over occipital-parietal regions during Sequence 1 exposure, while alpha activity over the same regions was higher after Sequence 2 exposure. These effects occurred after approximately 5 minutes of pulsed magnetic field exposure.

Why This Matters

The magnetic field used was weak, at plus or minus 200 microteslas peak, and pulsed at extremely low frequencies. The two sequences differed in their presentation rate, and each produced a different direction of change in alpha activity. A previous exposure to the pulsed magnetic field sequence determined subjects' responses in the present experiment.

Exposure Details

Magnetic Field
0.2 mT
Source/Device
0–500 Hz
Exposure Duration
15 min

Exposure Context

This study used 0.2 mT for magnetic fields:

Building Biology guidelines are practitioner-based limits from real-world assessments. BioInitiative Report recommendations are based on peer-reviewed science. Check Your Exposure to compare your own measurements.

Where This Falls on the Concern Scale

Study Exposure Level in ContextStudy Exposure Level in ContextThis study: 0.2 mTExtreme Concern - 5 mGFCC Limit - 2,000 mGEffects observed in the Extreme Concern range (Building Biology)This level is 1 times the FCC limit
A logarithmic frequency spectrum from 10 Hz to 100 GHz showing where this study's 500 Hz exposure sits relative to common EMF sources.Where This Frequency Sits on the EMF SpectrumELFVLFLF / MFHF / VHFUHFSHFmm10 Hz100 GHzThis study: 500 HzPower lines50/60 HzCell phones~1 GHzWiFi2.4 GHz5G mm28 GHzLogarithmic scale

Study Details

The present study investigates the effects of a weak (+/-200 microT(pk)), pulsed, extremely low frequency magnetic field (ELF MF) upon the human electroencephalogram (EEG).

In the present study, subjects (n = 32) were exposed to two different pulsed MF sequences (1 and 2, ...

Results suggest that compared to sham exposure, alpha activity was lowered over the occipital–pariet...

This study supports our previous observation of EEG changes after 5 min pulsed ELF MF exposure. The results of this study are also consistent with existing EEG experiments of ELF MF and mobile phone effects upon the brain.

Cite This Study
Cook CM, Saucier DM, Thomas AW, Prato FS. (2009). Changes in human EEG alpha activity following exposure to two different pulsed magnetic field sequences. Bioelectromagnetics. 30(1):9-20, 2009.
Show BibTeX
@article{cm_2009_changes_in_human_eeg_233,
  author = {Cook CM and Saucier DM and Thomas AW and Prato FS.},
  title = {Changes in human EEG alpha activity following exposure to two different pulsed magnetic field sequences.},
  year = {2009},
  doi = {10.1002/bem.20434},
  url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/bem.20434},
}
DOI: 10.1002/bem.20434

Cited By (51 papers)

View all 51 citing papers on Semantic Scholar

Quick Questions About This Study

The study used a weak, pulsed, extremely low frequency magnetic field at plus or minus 200 microteslas peak.
Alpha activity was lowered over occipital-parietal regions during Sequence 1 exposure, while it was higher over the same regions after Sequence 2 exposure.
The study included 32 subjects, who were exposed to two different pulsed magnetic field sequences that differed in presentation rate.
The effects occurred after approximately 5 minutes of pulsed magnetic field exposure.
A previous exposure to the pulsed magnetic field sequence determined subjects' responses in the present experiment.