Vestibular Extremely Low-Frequency Magnetic and Electric Stimulation Effects on Human Subjective Visual Vertical Perception

Abstract

Overview

This study investigates the impacts of electric fields from Extremely Low-Frequency Magnetic Fields (ELF-MF) and Alternating Current (AC) stimulations on human neurophysiology, focusing particularly on the vestibular system accountable for maintaining body balance and orientation.

Findings

• Cell Sensitivity: Like retinal photoreceptors, vestibular hair cells are graded potential cells sensitive to electric fields.
• Phenomena: Electrophosphene and magnetophosphene literature exhibit different impacts of AC and ELF-MF on vestibular hair cells.
• Stimulations Specificity: While AC likely affects the vestibular system on a broader scale, lateral ELF-MF stimulations appear more utricular specific.
• Experimental Results: For comparative precision levels in Subjective Visual Vertical (SVV) paradigms, ELF-MF required more time for adjustments and presented higher variability compared to AC-specific stimulations, although the differences were minor.

Conclusion

The study underlines subtle but potentially significant differences between AC and ELF-MF stimulation in the human vestibular system, proposing implications for updates to international exposure guidelines and safety standards regarding electromagnetic fields.