Abstract

Abstract Summary

Overview

In magnetobiology, it is challenging to reproduce biological effects of weak magnetic fields that aren't linked to specialized receptors. Standard statistical approaches may miss crucial data characteristics as they assume all data originates from the same population.

Findings

• The study identifies heterogeneity in data, indicating that measurements belong to different statistical populations.
• A random-effect meta-analysis of absolute values is used to handle this heterogeneity.
• An improved estimator based on the folded normal distribution has been developed, reducing bias significantly.
• The estimator was applied to study the effect of a hypomagnetic field on 40 subjects using the Stroop test, indicating a significant meta-effect.

Conclusion

The improved estimator offers a more accurate analysis of nonspecific magnetic effects, enhancing reproducibility and potentially highlighting health risks associated with weak magnetic fields.