Simultaneous exposure to MRI‐related static and low‐frequency movement‐induced time‐varying magnetic fields affects neurocognitive performance: A double‐blind randomized crossover study
van Nierop LE, Slottje P, van Zandvoort M, Kromhout H. · 2014
View Original AbstractCombined static and time-varying magnetic fields from MRI scanners measurably impaired memory and visual function in healthy adults.
Plain English Summary
Dutch researchers exposed 36 healthy volunteers to magnetic fields from a 7 Tesla MRI scanner to test effects on brain function. They found that when people were exposed to both static magnetic fields and time-varying magnetic fields (created by head movements), their verbal memory declined and visual acuity changed. The combination of both field types was necessary to produce these cognitive effects - static fields alone had no measurable impact.
Why This Matters
This carefully controlled study provides compelling evidence that magnetic field exposure can directly impair cognitive function in healthy adults. What makes this research particularly significant is its rigorous double-blind design and the fact that it isolated the specific combination of magnetic field types responsible for the effects. The 7 Tesla exposure levels far exceed what most people encounter daily, but the principle demonstrated here - that magnetic fields can measurably affect brain performance - has broader implications for our understanding of EMF bioeffects. The finding that static fields alone caused no problems, while the combination with time-varying fields did, suggests that movement in magnetic field environments may be a critical factor in determining biological impact.
Exposure Information
Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study.
Study Details
This experimental study aims to separate neurocognitive effects resulting from exposure to static magnetic stray fields (SMF) alone and the combination of SMF and low‐frequency movement‐induced time‐varying magnetic fields (TVMF) using a 7 Tesla (T) MRI scanner in stand‐by mode.
In a double‐blind randomized crossover experiment, 36 healthy volunteers underwent four sessions, tw...
Exposure to SMF in combination with TVMF decreased verbal memory performance significantly and chang...
Neurocognitive effects were only observed when simultaneously exposed to SMF and TVMF from a 7 T MRI scanner. Therefore, exposure to TVMF seems essential in eliciting the neurocognitive effects in our present study and, presumably, previous experiments. Magn Reson Med 74:840–849, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Show BibTeX
@article{le_2014_simultaneous_exposure_to_mrirelated_1572,
author = {van Nierop LE and Slottje P and van Zandvoort M and Kromhout H.},
title = {Simultaneous exposure to MRI‐related static and low‐frequency movement‐induced time‐varying magnetic fields affects neurocognitive performance: A double‐blind randomized crossover study},
year = {2014},
doi = {10.1002/mrm.25443},
url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/mrm.25443},
}