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Effects of transcranial magnetic stimulation on oxidative stress in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.

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Medina-Fernandez FJ, Escribano BM, Agüera E, Aguilar-Luque M, Feijoo M, Luque E, Garcia-Maceira FI, Pascual-Leone A, Drucker-Colin R, Tunez I · 2017

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Therapeutic magnetic field exposure at 0.7 mT reduced brain damage and oxidative stress in this animal study, showing EMF effects depend heavily on exposure parameters.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers exposed rats with multiple sclerosis-like symptoms to magnetic field stimulation (0.7 mT at 60 Hz) for 2 hours daily over 3 weeks. The magnetic field treatment significantly reduced brain and spinal cord damage, improved motor symptoms, and decreased harmful oxidative stress while boosting protective antioxidant systems. This suggests that certain types of electromagnetic field exposure may actually have therapeutic benefits for neurological conditions.

Why This Matters

This study represents a fascinating counterpoint in the EMF health debate, demonstrating that electromagnetic fields can have beneficial biological effects under specific conditions. The 0.7 mT exposure level used here is significantly higher than typical household magnetic field exposures (which range from 0.01 to 0.2 mT), but well within therapeutic ranges used in clinical magnetic stimulation treatments. What makes this research particularly compelling is its focus on oxidative stress-a key mechanism underlying many health concerns about EMF exposure. The reality is that EMF effects are highly dependent on frequency, intensity, duration, and biological context. While this study doesn't negate concerns about chronic low-level EMF exposure from everyday devices, it does illustrate that the relationship between electromagnetic fields and human health is far more nuanced than simple 'good versus bad' narratives suggest.

Exposure Details

Magnetic Field
0.7 mG
Source/Device
60 Hz
Exposure Duration
2 h in the morning, once a day, 5 days a week, during 3 weeks

Exposure Context

This study used 0.7 mG 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: 0.7 mGExtreme Concern - 5 mGFCC Limit - 2,000 mGEffects observed in the Slight Concern rangeFCC limit is 2,857x higher than this level
A logarithmic frequency spectrum from 10 Hz to 100 GHz showing where this study's 60 Hz exposure sits relative to common EMF sources.Where This Frequency Sits on the EMF SpectrumELFVLFLF / MFHF / VHFUHFSHFmm10 Hz100 GHzThis study: 60 HzCell phones~1 GHzWiFi2.4 GHz5G mm28 GHzLogarithmic scale

Study Details

The main objective was to evaluate the effect of extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields (EL-EMF) application, like a paradigm of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in the development of EAE.

Rats were injected with a single dose of 150 μg of myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG, fragmen...

The data showed that MOG induced motor symptoms as tail paralysis and limb paresis/paralysis, oxidat...

Our findings suggest that: (i) MOG reproduces an experimental model of MS characterised by oxidative and cell damage; and (ii) TMS application decreases oxidative stress and cell death induced by MOG.

Cite This Study
Medina-Fernandez FJ, Escribano BM, Agüera E, Aguilar-Luque M, Feijoo M, Luque E, Garcia-Maceira FI, Pascual-Leone A, Drucker-Colin R, Tunez I (2017). Effects of transcranial magnetic stimulation on oxidative stress in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. Free Radic Res. 51(5):460-469, 2017.
Show BibTeX
@article{fj_2017_effects_of_transcranial_magnetic_425,
  author = {Medina-Fernandez FJ and Escribano BM and Agüera E and  Aguilar-Luque M and Feijoo M and Luque E and Garcia-Maceira FI and Pascual-Leone A and Drucker-Colin R and Tunez I},
  title = {Effects of transcranial magnetic stimulation on oxidative stress in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.},
  year = {2017},
  doi = {10.1080/10715762.2017.1324955},
  url = {https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10715762.2017.1324955},
}
DOI: 10.1080/10715762.2017.1324955

Cited By (27 papers)

Quick Questions About This Study

A 2017 study found that 60 Hz magnetic field stimulation (0.7 mT) significantly reduced brain and spinal cord damage in rats with MS-like symptoms. The treatment improved motor function, reduced harmful oxidative stress, and boosted protective antioxidant systems over three weeks of daily exposure.
Research shows that 60 Hz transcranial magnetic stimulation at 0.7 mT significantly decreased oxidative stress and cell death in brain and spinal cord tissue. The magnetic field treatment also increased antioxidant system activity, suggesting protective effects against neurological damage.
In this study, researchers applied 60 Hz magnetic field therapy for 2 hours daily over 3 weeks to achieve therapeutic benefits. This treatment schedule significantly improved motor symptoms and reduced brain inflammation in experimental models of multiple sclerosis.
Researchers used 0.7 millitesla (mT) magnetic fields at 60 Hz frequency for therapeutic brain stimulation. This specific intensity and frequency combination successfully reduced neurological damage and improved motor function in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, a model of multiple sclerosis.
Yes, this 2017 research demonstrates that certain electromagnetic field exposures can be therapeutic. The study found that 60 Hz magnetic stimulation reduced brain damage, improved motor symptoms, and decreased harmful oxidative stress while boosting protective antioxidant systems in neurological conditions.