Transcranial Static Magnetic Field Stimulation over the Primary Motor Cortex Induces Plastic Changes in Cortical Nociceptive Processing.
Kirimoto H, Tamaki H, Otsuru N, Yamashiro K, Onishi H, Nojima I, Oliviero A. · 2018
View Original AbstractStatic magnetic fields altered brain pain processing in just 15 minutes, showing how readily our nervous systems respond to magnetic field exposure.
Plain English Summary
Researchers applied static magnetic fields to the brain's motor cortex for 15 minutes and found it reduced how strongly participants responded to painful electrical stimuli. The magnetic stimulation appeared to change how the brain processes pain signals, with effects lasting at least 10 minutes after the treatment ended. This suggests static magnetic fields might potentially be developed as a non-invasive treatment for chronic pain conditions.
Why This Matters
This study demonstrates that even brief exposure to static magnetic fields can measurably alter brain function, specifically how we process pain. What's particularly significant is that these neurological changes occurred after just 15 minutes of exposure and persisted for at least 10 minutes afterward. The researchers are exploring this as a potential therapeutic application, but the findings also highlight how readily magnetic fields can influence our nervous system's basic operations.
While the study focused on intentional medical applications, it raises important questions about unintended exposures. The reality is that we're increasingly surrounded by magnetic field sources in our daily environment, from electronics to transportation systems. The evidence shows our brains are more responsive to these fields than many people realize, and changes in pain processing could have broader implications for neurological health and function.
Exposure Information
Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study. Duration: 15 min
Study Details
The aim of this study is to observe Transcranial Static Magnetic Field Stimulation over the Primary Motor Cortex Induces Plastic Changes in Cortical Nociceptive Processing.
we performed non-invasive modulation of intra-epidermal electrical stimulation-evoked potentials (IE...
The IES-EP amplitude was significantly reduced immediately after tSMS over M1, whereas tSMS over S1 ...
Show BibTeX
@article{h_2018_transcranial_static_magnetic_field_1751,
author = {Kirimoto H and Tamaki H and Otsuru N and Yamashiro K and Onishi H and Nojima I and Oliviero A.},
title = {Transcranial Static Magnetic Field Stimulation over the Primary Motor Cortex Induces Plastic Changes in Cortical Nociceptive Processing.},
year = {2018},
doi = {10.3389/fnhum.2018.00063},
url = {https://internal-journal.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2018.00063/full},
}