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Weak (<1 μT) complex magnetic fields (CMFs) may exert their behavioral influences through the hippocampus by resonating by accident or design with intrinsic electrical patterns. Rats were exposed prenatally to one of four intensities of a CMF (either <5 nanoTesla [nT], 10-50 nT, 50-500 nT, or 500-1000 nT) designed to interact with the process of Long-Term Potentiation (LTP) in the hippocampus. Rats then underwent testing in the forced swim, open field, and fear-conditioning procedures. The cell densities of all amygdaloid nuclei, specific hypothalamic structures, and the major regions of the hippocampus were quantified. Results showed that acquisition of conditioned fear was strongly inhibited in animals exposed to LTP-CMFs. Rats exposed to intensities above 10 nT showed decreased cell density in the CA2 fields of the hippocampus; more neurons were present in the CA1 fields of rats exposed to the 10-50 nT intensities compared to all other groups. A decrease in cell density in the medial preoptic nucleus was linearly dependent on field intensity. In the forced-swim test, swimming was decreased in rats that had been exposed to low (10-50 nT) and medium intensity (50-500 nT) LTP-CMFs in a manner consistent with monoamine modulation. In the open field, exposed rats were indistinguishable from controls. These findings support the hypothesis that continuous exposure during prenatal development to CMFs designed to simulate intrinsic LTP within the hippocampus can affect adult behaviors specific to this structure and produce quantitative alterations in neuronal density. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A total of 11 men and women were exposed for 5 min each to six different temporal configurations of pulsed magnetic fields that were delivered through serial activation of 8 solenoids in a counterclockwise direction around the head within the horizontal plane above the ears. Twenty-second samples of quantitative electroencephalographic activity within the delta, theta, lower alpha, upper alpha, beta, and gamma regions were collected after each configuration had been activated for 2.5 min. Only the circumcerebral presentation of the first pulse for 25 ms followed by an acceleration of +2 ms to each of the other 7 solenoids (the last duration = 11 ms) resulted in a significant increase in power within the gamma range (35 Hz to 45 Hz) over both frontal and occipital lobes but not over the parietal or temporal lobes. These results suggest topical application of specific spatial-temporal configurations of magnetic fields may affect the recursive creation of the rostral-caudal waves of cohesive fields that might produce consciousness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantitative electroencephalographic activity over the left and right frontal, temporal, parietal, and occipital lobes was obtained on 4 successive weeks in 12 subjects before they were exposed cerebrally for 30 min to one of two configurations of weak complex magnetic fields or to a sham-field condition. The two configurations were Shakti (c Todd Murphy) and the set of 4 solenoids (Koren boxes) generating a burst-firing magnetic field through the temporal lobes. Compared to baseline measurements there were no statistically significant differences in treatments for relative changes in power over these regions within the delta, theta, low alpha, beta, or gamma ranges. However within the high alpha range (10.5 Hz to 13 Hz), there was a significant interaction between session and type of treatment that was due primarily to the Shakti treatment. These changes were congruent with the subjective experiences reported by some users of the technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]