Effects of magnetic stray fields from a 7 Tesla MRI scanner on neurocognition: a double-blind randomised crossover study.
van Nierop LE, Slottje P, van Zandvoort MJE, de Vocht F, Kromkout H. · 2011
View Original AbstractExposure to movement-induced magnetic fields near a 7 Tesla MRI scanner was associated with reduced attention, concentration, and visuospatial orientation in healthy volunteers.
Plain English Summary
Researchers tested whether movement-induced time-varying magnetic fields within the static magnetic stray field of a 7 Tesla MRI scanner affected neurocognition. Using a double-blind randomised crossover design, 31 healthy volunteers were tested in a sham (0 T), low (0.5 T) and high (1.0 T) exposure condition, with standardised head movements made before every neurocognitive task to induce time-varying magnetic fields. Of six tested neurocognitive domains, attention and concentration were negatively affected, and visuospatial orientation was also affected after exposure.
Why This Matters
The crossover design included a sham condition at 0 T, a low condition at 0.5 T, and a high condition at 1.0 T, allowing comparison across exposure levels within the same volunteers. Attention and concentration showed negative effects ranging from 5.0% to 21.1% per Tesla of exposure, and these effects were more pronounced when high working memory performance was required. Visuospatial orientation was affected at 46.7% per Tesla exposure with a p-value of 0.05. The researchers called for further studies to better understand the mechanisms and possible practical safety and health implications of these acute neurocognitive effects.
Exposure Details
- Magnetic Field
- 0, 500, 1000 mT
Exposure Context
This study used 0, 500, 1000 mT for magnetic fields:
- 25Mx above the Building Biology guideline of 0.2 mG
- 5Mx above the BioInitiative Report recommendation of 1 mG
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 Details
This study characterises neurocognitive domains that are affected by movement-induced time-varying magnetic fields (TVMF) within a static magnetic stray field (SMF) of a 7 Tesla (T) MRI scanner.
Using a double-blind randomised crossover design, 31 healthy volunteers were tested in a sham (0 T),...
Of the six tested neurocognitive domains, we demonstrated that attention and concentration were nega...
Neurocognitive functioning is modulated when exposed to movement-induced TVMF within an SMF of a 7 T MRI scanner. Domains that were affected include attention/concentration and visuospatial orientation. Further studies are needed to better understand the mechanisms and possible practical safety and health implications of these acute neurocognitive effects.
Show BibTeX
@article{le_2011_effects_of_magnetic_stray_308,
author = {van Nierop LE and Slottje P and van Zandvoort MJE and de Vocht F and Kromkout H. },
title = {Effects of magnetic stray fields from a 7 Tesla MRI scanner on neurocognition: a double-blind randomised crossover study.},
year = {2011},
url = {https://oem.bmj.com/content/69/10/759.short},
}