Related Experiment Videos
Effect of weak electromagnetic fields on the amplitude of the pattern reversal VEP response in Parkinson's disease
1NeuroCommunication Research Laboratories, Danbury, CT 06811, USA.
Abstract:
Visual evoked potential (VEP) studies are widely used for the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) and are also useful in monitoring the effects of various therapeutic modalities in the disease. Prolongation of the VEP latencies has been demonstrated in patients with MS and in other neurodegenerative disorders including Parkinson's disease (PD), a disorder characterized by deficient cerebral dopamine (DA) functions. Pharmacological and biochemical studies have demonstrated a positive correlation between the amplitude of the VEP response and cerebral DA levels. Since brief, extracerebral applications of picotesla (pT) range flux intensity electromagnetic fields (EMFs) of low frequency have been shown to produce rapid improvement in motor and cognitive symptoms in PD, it is expected that application these EMFs would lead also to an increase in the amplitude of VEP response. This report documents three randomly selected PD patients who, following two successive brief extracerebral applications of pT range EMFs, showed an almost 3-fold increase of the mean pretreatment amplitude of the pattern reversal VEP in response to monocular stimulation. One patient underwent also a placebo EMF treatment which did not result in a significant change in the posttreatment amplitude. The study demonstrates that in Parkinsonian patients extracerebral application of these EMFs rapidly increases in amplitude of the VEP response and, by inference, cerebral DA levels presumably by increasing DA release.
Insights
Low-frequency electromagnetic fields (EMFs) significantly increased visual evoked potential (VEP) amplitudes in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. This suggests EMFs may enhance cerebral dopamine levels, offering a novel therapeutic avenue for PD.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Biophysics
Background:
- Visual evoked potential (VEP) studies are crucial for diagnosing and monitoring neurological disorders like multiple sclerosis (MS) and Parkinson's disease (PD).
- Parkinson's disease is characterized by deficient cerebral dopamine (DA) functions, and VEP response amplitude correlates positively with DA levels.
Observation:
- Three Parkinson's disease patients received two brief, extracerebral applications of picotesla (pT) range, low-frequency electromagnetic fields (EMFs).
- A placebo EMF treatment was administered to one patient, showing no significant post-treatment amplitude change.
Findings:
- Patients exhibited an almost 3-fold increase in mean pretreatment pattern reversal VEP amplitude after EMF application.
- This rapid increase in VEP amplitude suggests a corresponding rise in cerebral DA levels, likely due to enhanced DA release.
Implications:
- Extracerebral EMF application shows potential as a non-invasive method to rapidly increase VEP response amplitude in Parkinson's patients.
- This approach may offer a novel therapeutic strategy for managing Parkinson's disease by modulating cerebral dopamine levels.