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Local Exposure of Brain Central Areas to a Pulsed ELF Magnetic Field for a Purposeful Change in EEG.

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Amirifalah Z, Firoozabadi SM, Shafiei SA. · 2013

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Pulsed ELF magnetic field exposure significantly decreased beta, sensorimotor rhythm, and theta brain wave powers after exposure ended, but no resonance effect was observed.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers exposed 10 healthy women to a pulsed extremely low-frequency magnetic field at the central brain areas corresponding to electrodes C3 and C4, then measured changes in EEG activity. After exposure, beta (15-25 Hz), sensorimotor rhythm (13-15 Hz), and theta (4-8 Hz) powers were significantly decreased by 12.0% to 26.6% at 10 Hz in the C3 and C4 regions, compared with values measured during exposure. The study suggests that this technique may be applied in the treatment of anxiety, though further investigation is needed.

Why This Matters

The researchers used a counterbalanced design in which participants received both real ELF-MF and sham exposure. The exposure frequencies tested were 10, 14, and 18 Hz, at an intensity of 200 μT. Changes observed during exposure were transient and differed from those measured after exposure ended. The resonance effect was observed nowhere around the regions. The intent of the work was to change the EEG for a therapeutic application, such as neurofeedback, by inducing the "resonance effect."

Exposure Details

Magnetic Field
0.2 mT
Source/Device
10, 14, and 18 Hz
Exposure Duration
9 minutes

Exposure Context

This study used 0.2 mT for magnetic fields:

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 Exposure Level in ContextStudy Exposure Level in ContextThis study: 0.2 mTExtreme Concern - 5 mGFCC Limit - 2,000 mGEffects observed in the Extreme Concern range (Building Biology)This level is 1 times the FCC limit
A logarithmic frequency spectrum from 10 Hz to 100 GHz showing where this study's 18 Hz exposure sits relative to common EMF sources.Where This Frequency Sits on the EMF SpectrumELFVLFLF / MFHF / VHFUHFSHFmm10 Hz100 GHzThis study: 18 HzPower lines50/60 HzCell phones~1 GHzWiFi2.4 GHz5G mm28 GHzLogarithmic scale

Study Details

This study examines the simultaneous exposure of 2 brain areas in the location of central electrodes (C3 and C4) to a weak and pulsed extremely low-frequency magnetic field (ELF-MF) on the electroencephalogram (EEG).

The intent is to change the EEG for a therapeutic application, such as neurofeedback, by inducing th...

The paired t test revealed that local pulsed ELF-MF significantly decreases beta (15-25 Hz), sensori...

The study suggests that this technique may be applied in the treatment of anxiety; however, further investigation is needed.

Cite This Study
Amirifalah Z, Firoozabadi SM, Shafiei SA. (2013). Local Exposure of Brain Central Areas to a Pulsed ELF Magnetic Field for a Purposeful Change in EEG. Clin EEG Neurosci. 44(1):44-52, 2013.
Show BibTeX
@article{z_2013_local_exposure_of_brain_219,
  author = {Amirifalah Z and Firoozabadi SM and Shafiei SA.},
  title = {Local Exposure of Brain Central Areas to a Pulsed ELF Magnetic Field for a Purposeful Change in EEG.},
  year = {2013},
  doi = {10.1177/1550059412460164},
  url = {https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1550059412460164},
}
DOI: 10.1177/1550059412460164

Cited By (18 papers)

Quick Questions About This Study

A total of 10 healthy women took part, each receiving 9 minutes of ELF-MF and sham exposure in a counterbalanced design.
Beta (15-25 Hz), sensorimotor rhythm (13-15 Hz), and theta (4-8 Hz) powers were significantly decreased by 12.0% to 26.6% at 10 Hz in the C3 and C4 regions after exposure.
Changes during exposure were transient and differed from those measured after exposure ended.
The resonance effect was not observed in any of the regions surrounding the exposed areas.
The study suggests that this technique may be applied in the treatment of anxiety, but notes that further investigation is needed.