Dopamine-dependent changes of cortical excitability induced by transcranial static magnetic field stimulation in Parkinson's disease.
Dileone M, Carrasco-López MC, Segundo-Rodriguez JC, Mordillo-Mateos L, López-Ariztegui N, Alonso-Frech F, Catalan-Alonso MJ, Obeso JA, Oliviero A, Foffani G, · 2017
View Original AbstractStatic magnetic fields alter brain activity in Parkinson's patients, with effects that depend on dopamine levels and disease stage.
Plain English Summary
Researchers tested how static magnetic fields affect brain activity in Parkinson's disease patients by applying magnetic stimulation to the motor cortex for 10 minutes. They found that the magnetic fields reduced brain excitability when patients were off their dopamine medications, but had no effect (or even opposite effects) when patients were on medication. This suggests that magnetic field effects on the brain depend heavily on dopamine levels and disease progression.
Why This Matters
This study provides compelling evidence that magnetic fields can directly alter brain function in measurable ways, particularly in people with neurological conditions. What makes this research significant is that it demonstrates how individual brain chemistry - specifically dopamine levels - determines whether magnetic field exposure inhibits or stimulates neural activity. The reality is that if static magnetic fields can produce these dopamine-dependent changes in Parkinson's patients, we need to better understand how everyday magnetic field exposures might affect brain function in healthy individuals. The variability in responses based on medication status and disease progression suggests that some people may be more susceptible to magnetic field effects than others, which has important implications for both therapeutic applications and safety assessments of magnetic field devices.
Exposure Information
Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study. Duration: 10 min
Study Details
The objective of the present study was to test the ability of tSMS to modulate cortical excitability in patients with Parkinson’s disease.
We performed a randomized double-blind sham-controlled cross-over study to assess cortical excitabil...
tSMS significantly decreased MEP amplitudes in patients OFF medication (after overnight withdrawal o...
These results suggest that tSMS induces dopamine-dependent changes of cortical excitability in patients with Parkinson’s disease.
Show BibTeX
@article{m_2017_dopaminedependent_changes_of_cortical_1738,
author = {Dileone M and Carrasco-López MC and Segundo-Rodriguez JC and Mordillo-Mateos L and López-Ariztegui N and Alonso-Frech F and Catalan-Alonso MJ and Obeso JA and Oliviero A and Foffani G and},
title = {Dopamine-dependent changes of cortical excitability induced by transcranial static magnetic field stimulation in Parkinson's disease.},
year = {2017},
url = {https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-04254-y},
}