Effects of low-field magnetic stimulation on brain glucose metabolism
Volkow ND, Tomasi D, Wang GJ, Fowler JS, Telang F, Wang R, Alexoff D, Logan J, Wong C, Pradhan K, Caparelli EC, Ma Y, Jayne M. · 2010
View Original AbstractStrong magnetic fields measurably reduced brain activity in specific regions, with stronger exposures causing larger effects that participants couldn't feel.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed 15 healthy people to magnetic fields inside MRI machines and measured brain activity using glucose metabolism scans. They found that stronger magnetic field exposure caused measurable decreases in brain activity in specific regions, with the strongest fields producing the largest reductions. This demonstrates that magnetic fields can directly alter how the brain functions, even without people feeling any immediate effects.
Why This Matters
This study provides compelling evidence that magnetic fields can directly alter brain function in measurable ways. While conducted in a clinical MRI setting with fields much stronger than typical household exposures, the research demonstrates a clear dose-response relationship - the stronger the field, the greater the effect on brain metabolism. What makes this particularly significant is that participants felt no subjective changes, meaning the brain was being affected without conscious awareness. The science demonstrates that electromagnetic fields can influence neural activity through mechanisms we're still working to understand. This adds to the growing body of evidence showing that EMF exposure affects biological systems, particularly the sensitive electrical networks in our brains.
Exposure Information
Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study.
Study Details
Here we assessed the effects of EPI on brain glucose metabolism (marker of brain function) using PET and 18F 2-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (18FDG).
Fifteen healthy subjects were in a 4 T magnet during the 18FDG uptake period twice: with (ON) and wi...
Statistical parametric analyses used to identify regions that differed between ON versus OFF (p < 0....
This data provides preliminary evidence that EPI sequences may affect neuronal activity and merits further investigation.
Show BibTeX
@article{nd_2010_effects_of_lowfield_magnetic_1573,
author = {Volkow ND and Tomasi D and Wang GJ and Fowler JS and Telang F and Wang R and Alexoff D and Logan J and Wong C and Pradhan K and Caparelli EC and Ma Y and Jayne M.},
title = {Effects of low-field magnetic stimulation on brain glucose metabolism},
year = {2010},
url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1053811910001837},
}