Research also points toward conclusion that multiple sclerosis and many neurological diseases share similar electrophysiological anomalies. The anomalies can be found in many neurological disease states;
including MS, epilepsy, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, migraine, cluster and other headache syndromes, severe PMS, and exaggerated menstrual related symptoms, attention deficit disorder ADD, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ADHD, depression, schizophrenia, anxiety, insomnia / sleeping disorders, tremor disorders, muscle twitch.
Frequency Specific Pulsed Electromagnetic Field (PEMF) Research Bibliographies:
Several hundred pulsed electromagnetic field therapy citations contained in our research bibliographies are linked directly to PubMed a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the U.S. National Institutes of Health. These studies are offered for your education only and are not intended as promotional material.
See also; Sandyk R, Anninos PA , Jacobson JI; three pioneers of electromagnetic field therapy to treat Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and epilepsy.
PEMF Background:
introduction to electromedicine
brain wave entrainment
brain wave entrainment II
Dr. Oz on PEMF therapy for pain (16 November '11 episode video)
Electromagnetism & Life; by Andrew Marino & R.O. Becker (due to file size this pdf takes up to minutes to load)
PEMF Research By Effect:
Alzheimer's and frequency specific pulsed electromagnetic fields
anti-aging and frequency specific pulsed electromagnetic field therapy research
arthritis and frequency specific pulsed electromagnetic field therapy research
athletic performance enhancement (ergogenic effect) and frequency specific pulsed electromagnetic field therapy research
bone / connective tissue regeneration and frequency specific pulsed electromagnetic field therapy research
depression and frequency specific pulsed electromagnetic field therapy research
EMF protection - electropollution research (your brain and your wireless technologies)
epilepsy and frequency specific pulsed electromagnetic field therapy research
fibromyalgia and frequency specific pulsed electromagnetic field therapy research
insomnia and frequency specific pulsed electromagnetic field therapy research
migraine headache and frequency specific pulsed electromagnetic field therapy research
multiple sclerosis and frequency specific pulsed electromagnetic field therapy research
nerve regeneration and frequency specific pulsed electromagnetic field therapy research
neuropathy and frequency specific pulsed electromagnetic field therapy research
osteoporosis and frequency specific pulsed electromagnetic field therapy research
pain and frequency specific pulsed electromagnetic field therapy research
Parkinson's disease and frequency specific pulsed electromagnetic field therapy research
sleep and radio frequency microwave telecommunications fields
SleepEasy® (new) & Sleep on Command™ pulsed magnetic sleep-machine
stroke and frequency specific pulsed electromagnetic field therapy research
thyroid and frequency specific pulsed electromagnetic field therapy research
tinnitus and frequency specific pulsed electromagnetic field therapy research
transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS / TMS) research
wound healing and frequency specific pulsed electromagnetic field therapy research
EarthPulse research:
video evidence
client feedback forms
chronic lower back pain/sleep study
magnetic fields in the news
These two
studies are important from a diagnostic standpoint; especially
taken with Dr. Wahls' video above regarding neurological
atrophy and reversing it.
Ann Neurol. 2008 Sep;64(3):255-65.
Gray
matter atrophy in multiple sclerosis: a longitudinal study.
Fisher E, Lee JC, Nakamura K, Rudick RA.
Source
Department of Biomedical Engineering, Cleveland Clinic
Foundation, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA. fishere@ccf.org
Mult Scler. 2011 Sep 30. [Epub ahead of
print]
Cortical
dysfunction underlies disability in multiple sclerosis.
Vucic S, Burke T, Lenton K, Ramanathan S, Gomes L, Yannikas C,
Kiernan MC.
Source
Sydney Medical School Westmead, University of Sydney, Australia.
J Neurol Sci. 2005 Jun 15;233(1-2):145-62.
Oxidative
stress, mitochondrial dysfunction and cellular stress response
in Friedreich's ataxia.
Calabrese V, Lodi R, Tonon C, D'Agata V, Sapienza M, Scapagnini
G, Mangiameli A, Pennisi G, Stella AM, Butterfield DA.
Source
Section of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Department of
Chemistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Catania, Catania,
Viale Andrea Doria 6, 95100 Catania, Italy.
calabres@mbox.unict.it
In Vivo. 2004 May-Jun;18(3):245-67.
Nitric
oxide and cellular stress response in brain aging and
neurodegenerative disorders: the role of vitagenes.
Calabrese V, Boyd-Kimball D, Scapagnini G, Butterfield DA.
Source
Section of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Department of
Chemistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Catania, Catania,
Italy. calabres@mbox.unict.it
Prog Brain Res. 2009;175:429-39.
The use of
repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) for the
treatment of spasticity.
Mori F, Koch G, Foti C, Bernardi G, Centonze D.
Source
Clinica Neurologica, Dipartimento di Neuroscienze,
Università Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy.
Mult Scler. 2008 Aug;14(7):995-8. Epub 2008
Jun 23.
Improvement
of hand dexterity following motor cortex rTMS in multiple
sclerosis patients with cerebellar impairment.
Koch G, Rossi S, Prosperetti C, Codecà C, Monteleone F,
Petrosini L, Bernardi G, Centonze D.
Source
Clinica Neurologica, Dipartimento di Neuroscienze,
Università Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
Mult Scler. 2007 Mar;13(2):269-71. Epub
2007 Jan 29.
Effects of
motor cortex rTMS on lower urinary tract dysfunction in
multiple sclerosis.
Centonze D, Petta F, Versace V, Rossi S, Torelli F, Prosperetti
C, Rossi S, Marfia GA, Bernardi G, Koch G, Miano R, Boffa L,
Finazzi-Agrò E.
Source
Dipartimento di Neuroscienze, Clinica Neurologica,
Università Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy and Fondazione Santa
Lucia IRCCS, Rome, Italy.
Neurology. 2007 Mar 27;68(13):1045-50.
Repetitive
transcranial magnetic stimulation of the motor cortex
ameliorates spasticity in multiple sclerosis.
Centonze D, Koch G, Versace V, Mori F, Rossi S, Brusa L, Grossi
K, Torelli F, Prosperetti C, Cervellino A, Marfia GA, Stanzione
P, Marciani MG, Boffa L, Bernardi G.
Source
Clinica Neurologica, Dipartimento di Neuroscienze,
Università di Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy.
centonze@uniroma2.it
Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2005 Oct;7(5):381-90.
Transcranial
magnetic stimulation for the treatment of depression in
neurologic disorders.
Fregni F, Pascual-Leone A.
Source
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School,
330 Brookline Avenue, KS 452, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
ffregni@bidmc.harvard.edu
1: Altern Ther Health Med. 2003 Jul-Aug;9(4):38-48.
Effects of a pulsed electromagnetic
therapy on multiple sclerosis fatigue and
quality of life: a double-blind, placebo controlled trial.
Lappin MS, Lawrie FW, Richards TL, Kramer ED.
Energy Medicine Developments, (North America), Inc., Burke, Va., USA.
CONTEXT: There is a growing literature on
the biological and clinical effects of
pulsed electromagnetic fields. Some studies suggest that
electromagnetic
therapies may be useful in the treatment of chronic illnesses.
This study is a
follow-up to a placebo controlled pilot study in which multiple
sclerosis (MS)
patients exposed to weak, extremely low frequency pulsed
electromagnetic fields
showed significant improvements on a composite symptom measure.
OBJECTIVE: To
evaluate the effects of a pulsed electromagnetic therapy on MS
related fatigue,
spasticity, bladder control, and overall quality of life.
DESIGN: A multi-site,
double-blind, placebo controlled, crossover trial. Each subject
received 4 weeks
of the active and placebo treatments separated by a 2-week
washout period.
SETTING: The University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle
Wash, the
Neurology Center of Fairfax in Fairfax, Va, and the headquarters
of the Multiple
Sclerosis Association of America in Cherry Hill, NJ. SUBJECTS:
117 patients with
clinically definite MS. INTERVENTION: Daily exposure to a small,
portable
pulsing electromagnetic field generator. MAIN OUTCOME: The MS
Quality of Life
Inventory (MSQLI) was used to assess changes in fatigue, bladder
control,
spasticity, and a quality of life composite. RESULTS: Paired
t-tests were used
to assess treatment differences in the 117 subjects (81% of the
initial sample)
who completed both treatment sessions. Improvements in fatigue
and overall
quality of life were significantly greater on the active device.
There were no
treatment effects for bladder control and a disability
composite, and mixed
results for spasticity. CONCLUSIONS: Evidence from this
randomized, double-bind,
placebo controlled trial is consistent with results from
smaller studies
suggesting that exposure to pulsing, weak electromagnetic
fields can alleviate
symptoms of MS. The clinical effects were small, however,
and need to be
replicated. Additional research is also needed to examine the
possibility that
ambulatory patients and patients taking interferons for their MS
may be most
responsive to this kind of treatment.
Publication Types:
Clinical Trial
Multicenter Study
Randomized Controlled Trial
PMID: 12868251 [PubMed - indexed for
MEDLINE]
2: Wien Med Wochenschr. 2003;153(3-4):65-72.
[Therapy of day time fatigue in patients with multiple sclerosis]
[Article in German]
Zifko UA.
Sonderkrankenanstalt fur Neurologie, Klinik
Pirawarth, Kurhausstrasse 100,
A-2222 Bad Pirawarth.
Fatigue is the most common symptom of
multiple sclerosis. 75%-90% of patients
with multiple sclerosis report having fatigue, and 50%-60%
describe it as the
worst symptom of their disease. Fatigue is significantly
associated with reduced
quality of life and is also a major reason for unemployment,
especially for
patients with otherwise minor disability. The mechanisms
underlying abnormal
levels of fatigue in multiple sclerosis are poorly understood.
To date, drug
treatment has been only partially successful in alleviating
fatigue, and effects
vary widely from patient to patient. Amantadine and modafinil
showed to be
effective in the treatment of fatigue in some studies.
Non-pharmacological
management of fatigue in multiple sclerosis includes inpatient
rehabilitation
and endurance training. There is also evidence, that pulsing
electromagnetic
fields may improve fatigue associated with multiple sclerosis.
This paper
summarizes the recent literature on pathophysiology, diagnosis
and therapy of
the most common symptom of multiple sclerosis.
Publication Types:
Review
Review, Tutorial
PMID: 12658965 [PubMed - indexed for
MEDLINE]
1: Wiad Lek. 2002;55(3-4):136-43.
[Effect of variable magnetic field on
motor impairment and quality of life in
patients with multiple sclerosis]
[Article in Polish]
Brola W, Wegrzyn W, Czernicki J.
Oddzialu Neurologii Szpitala Sw. lukasza w Konskich.
Modern treatment of multiple sclerosis (SM)
takes into consideration the current
stage of the disease, symptomatic treatment and modification of
the course of
the disease. The most promising method of management is
immunotherapy. It is,
however, effective only in some cases, in patients with low
degree of
disability, and it is rather expensive. In view of some recent
reports
concerning the possibility of utilisation of variable magnetic
fields in the
treatment of SM, the study was undertaken to evaluate the
effectiveness of
impulses generated by magnetic field obtained by means of VIOFOR
JPS stimulator.
The study was carried out on 76 subjects with long-term history
of clinically
confirmed SM. The mean duration of the disease was 8.5 years,
and the mean age
of the patients 37.8 years. The patients were divided into two
groups: the study
group and the controls. In the study group the patients were
exposed to magnetic
fields generated by VIOFOR JPS. Magnetic stimulation was not
applied in the
control group. The progress of the disease according to EDDS and
the quality of
life according to Testa and Simonson Questionnaire were assessed
on admission
and after 21 days of stimulation. No significant differences
between the groups
were found with respect to motor impairment evaluated using the
EDDS score (6.2
at the beginning of the study and 5.1 after 21 days; in the
control group--6.1
and 5.6, respectively). The quality of life was found to be
significantly better
in the group exposed to magnetic field stimulation than in
the controls (p <
0.01). Particular variables contributing to the physical,
psychological and
social component of quality of life were analysed in detail. The
most
significant difference was observed with respect to the
improvement of mental
condition of the patients (alleviation of depression,
elimination of anxiety,
better emotional control), as well as to the decrease of muscle
tone,
dysaesthesia and painful sensations. No side effects were
observed in any of the
cases. The obtained effects encourage us to recommend
magnetic stimulation as a
method supplementing symptomatic treatment of patients with
multiple sclerosis.
Publication Types:
Clinical Trial
Controlled Clinical Trial
PMID: 12181997 [PubMed - indexed for
MEDLINE]
2: Int J Neurosci. 1998 Jul;95(1-2):107-13.
Yawning and stretching--a behavioral
syndrome associated with transcranial
application of electromagnetic fields in multiple sclerosis.
Sandyk R.
Department of Neuroscience at the Institute
for Biomedical Engineering and
Rehabilitation Services of Touro College, Dix Hills, NY 11746,
USA.
Intracerebral administration of
adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) elicits in
experimental animals a yawning stretching behavior which is
believed to reflect
an arousal response mediated through the septohippocampal
cholinergic neurons. A
surge in plasma ACTH levels at night and just prior to awakening
from sleep is
also associated in humans with yawning and stretching behavior.
Recurrent
episodes of uncontrollable yawning and body stretching,
identical to those
observed upon awakening from physiological sleep, occur in a
subset of patients
with multiple sclerosis (MS) during transcranial therapeutic
application of AC
pulsed electromagnetic fields of picotesla flux density. This
behavioral
response has been observed exclusively in young female patients
who are fully
ambulatory with a relapsing remitting course of the disease who
also demonstrate
a distinctly favorable therapeutic response to magnetic
stimulation. ACTH is
employed for the treatment of MS due to its immunomodulatory
effects and a surge
in its release in response to AC pulsed magnetic stimulation
could explain some
of the mechanism by which these fields improve symptoms of
the disease.
Publication Types:
Review
Review, Tutorial
PMID: 9845021 [PubMed - indexed for
MEDLINE]
3: Mult Scler. 1996 Dec;2(5):227-32.
Treatment of spasticity with repetitive
magnetic stimulation; a double-blind
placebo-controlled study.
Nielsen JF, Sinkjaer T, Jakobsen J.
Department of Neurology, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark.
The effect of repetitive magnetic
stimulation on spasticity was evaluated in 38
patients with multiple sclerosis in a double-blind
placebo-controlled study. One
group was treated with repetitive magnetic stimulation (n = 21)
and the other
group with sham stimulation (n = 17). Both groups were treated
twice daily for 7
consecutive days. Primary end-points of the study were changes
in the patients
self-score, in clinical spasticity score, and in the stretch
reflex threshold.
The self-score of ease of daily day activities improved by 22%
(P = 0.007) after
treatment and by 29% (P = 0.004) after sham stimulation. The
clinical spasticity
score improved -3.3 +/- 4.7 arbitrary unit (AU) in treated
patients and 0.7 +/-
2.5 AU in sham stimulation (P = 0.003). The stretch reflex
threshold increased
4.3 +/- 7.5 deg/s in treated patients and -3.8 +/- 9.7 deg/s in
sham stimulation
(P = 0.001). The data presented in this study supports the
idea that repetitive
magnetic stimulation has an antispastic effect in multiple
sclerosis. Future
studies should clarify the optimal treatment regimen.
Publication Types:
Clinical Trial
Randomized Controlled Trial
PMID: 9050361 [PubMed - indexed for
MEDLINE]
4: J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 1995 Feb;58(2):254-5.
A new treatment of spasticity with
repetitive magnetic stimulation in multiple
sclerosis.
Nielsen JF, Klemar B, Hansen HJ, Sinkjaer T.
Publication Types:
Letter
PMID: 7876869 [PubMed - indexed for
MEDLINE]
5: Zh Nevropatol Psikhiatr Im S S Korsakova. 1994;94(4):60-1.
[The use of magnetic stimulation in organic and psychogenic diseases]
[Article in Russian]
Vein AM, Sadekov RA, Danilov AB, Kupershmidt LA.
PMID: 7856383 [PubMed - indexed for
MEDLINE]
3: Int J Neurosci. 1999 Mar;97(1-2):131-8.
Serotonergic neuronal sprouting as a
potential mechanism of recovery in multiple
sclerosis.
Sandyk R.
Department of Neuroscience at the Institute
for Biomedical Engineering and
Rehabilitation Services of Touro College, Dix Hills, NY 11746,
USA.
Experimental allergic encephalomyelitis
(EAE) is widely considered as an animal
model of multiple sclerosis (MS). Damage to the bulbospinal
serotonergic (5-HT)
neurons occurs in the early paralytic stages of EAE in rats with
the severity of
neurologic signs corresponding to spinal serotonergic depletion.
Neurologic
recovery of EAE rats is associated with reestablishment of
spinal 5-HT
transmission possibly through sprouting of undamaged axons and
nerve terminals.
Damage to the bulbospinal serotonergic fibers also occurs in
patients with MS
(as reflected by reduced lumbar CSF 5-HIAA levels) and may
contribute to several
manifestations of the disease including autonomic dysregulation,
sensory
symptoms (i.e., paresthesias, pain) and motor symptoms
(weakness, spasticity,
clonus). Spinal serotonergic neuronal sprouting with
regeneration of 5-HT nerve
terminals may also occur in the early stages of MS and may be
associated with
spontaneous remission of MS symptoms following an acute relapse.
Sprouting of
serotonergic neurons may also explain the disparity in MS
between the extent of
demyelinating plaques and clinical signs of the disease. The
chronic course of
MS may be associated with progressive axonal degenerative
changes with reduction
of serotonergic nerve terminals and loss of their sprouting
capability. It is
proposed that the beneficial effects of treatment with AC
pulsed electromagnetic
fields on the symptoms and course of the disease in patients
with chronic
progressive MS may be related in part to renewed sprouting of
serotonergic
neurons.
Publication Types:
Review
Review, Tutorial
PMID: 10681122 [PubMed - indexed for
MEDLINE]
4: Int J Neurosci. 1999;98(1-2):83-94.
Impairment of depth perception in
multiple sclerosis is improved by treatment
with AC pulsed electromagnetic fields.
Sandyk R.
Department of Neuroscience at the Institute
for Biomedical Engineering and
Rehabilitation Services of Touro College, Bay Shore, NY 11706,
USA.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is associated with
postural instability and an increased
risk of falling which is facilitated by a variety of factors
including
diminished visual acuity, diplopia, ataxia, apraxia of gait, and
peripheral
neuropathy. Deficient binocular depth perception may also
contribute to a higher
incidence of postural instability and falling in these patients
who, for
example, find it an extremely difficult task to walk on uneven
ground, over
curbs, or up and down steps. I report a 51 year old woman with
secondary
progressive MS who experienced difficulties with binocular depth
perception
resulting in frequent falls and injuries. Deficient depth
perception was
demonstrated also on spontaneous drawing of a cube. Following a
series of
transcranial treatments with AC pulsed electromagnetic fields
(EMFs) of 7,5
picotesla flux density, the patient experienced a major
improvement in depth
perception which was evident particularly on ascending and
descending stairs.
These clinical changes were associated with an improvement in
spatial
organization and depth perception on drawing a cube. These
findings suggest that
in MS impairment of depth perception, which is encoded in the
primary visual
cortex (area 17) and visual association cortex (areas 18 and
19), may be
improved by administration of AC pulsed EMFs of picotesla flux
density. The
primary visual cortex is densely innervated by serotonergic
neurons which
modulate visual information processing. Cerebral serotonin
concentrations are
diminished in MS patients and at least some aspects of deficient
depth
perception in MS may be related to dysfunction of serotonergic
transmission in
the primary visual cortex. It is suggested that transcranial
AC pulsed
applications of EMFs improve depth perception partly by
augmenting serotonergic
transmission in the visual cortex.
PMID: 10395363 [PubMed - indexed for
MEDLINE]
5: Neurology. 1999 Apr 12;52(6):1279-82.
Multiple sclerosis among utility workers.
Johansen C, Koch-Henriksen N, Rasmussen S, Olsen JH.
Institute of Cancer Epidemiology, The
Danish Cancer Society, Copenhagen.
christof@cancer.dk
The incidence of MS was assessed in a
nationwide cohort study of 31,990
employees of Danish utility companies between 1900 and 1993. Overall,
32 cases
of MS were diagnosed, as compared with 23.7 expected from
national incidence
rates, to yield a standardized incidence ratio of 1.35
(95% confidence interval,
0.92 to 1.91).
PMID: 10214760 [PubMed - indexed for
MEDLINE]
6: Phys Med Rehabil Clin N Am. 1998 Aug;9(3):659-74.
Bioelectromagnetic applications for multiple sclerosis.
Richards TL, Lappin MS, Lawrie FW, Stegbauer KC.
Department of Radiology, University of Washington, Seattle, USA.
There are EM effects on biology that are
potentially both harmful and
beneficial. We have reviewed applications of EM fields that are
relevant to MS.
It is possible that EM fields could be developed into a
reproducible therapy for
both symptom management and long-term care for MS. The
long-term care for MS
would have to include beneficial changes in the immune system
and in nerve
regeneration.
Publication Types:
Review
Review, Tutorial
PMID: 9894116 [PubMed - indexed for
MEDLINE]
7: Int J Neurosci. 1998 Jul;95(1-2):133-40.
Serotonergic neuronal atrophy with
synaptic inactivation, not axonal
degeneration, are the main hallmarks of multiple sclerosis.
Sandyk R.
Department of Neuroscience at the Institute
for Biomedical Engineering and
Rehabilitation Services of Touro College, Dix Hills, NY 11746,
USA.
The neurological manifestations of multiple
sclerosis (MS) have been considered
to result from demyelination of axons with relative preservation
of axonal
integrity. This concept has been challenged recently by a
landmark pathological
study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, which
has demonstrated
that axonal degeneration is also present. The authors of the
study hypothesized
that axonal degeneration is the pathological correlate of the
irreversible
neurological impairment in this disease. However, this
hypothesis cannot be
reconciled with the clinical results obtained with transcranial
applications of
AC pulsed electromagnetic fields (EMFs) of picotesla flux
density which have
shown rapid and sustained improvement of symptoms including
normalization of
evoked potential responses in patients with chronic progressive
or secondary
progressive MS without demyelinated areas first undergoing
remyelination or
transected axons undergoing regeneration. Biochemical studies
have shown that MS
patients are serotonergically depleted with the extent of
cerebral depletion
correlating with the degree of motor disability and a chronic
progressive
course. It is believed that progressive serotonergic
neuronal atrophy with
synaptic inactivation, not axonal degeneration, are the
hallmarks of the disease
and that administration of AC pulsed magnetic fields improves
symptoms of MS
partly through reactivation of serotonergic neurons and
amplification of
synaptic serotonergic transmission.
Publication Types:
Review
Review, Tutorial
PMID: 9845023 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
9: Int J Neurosci. 1998 Apr;93(3-4):239-50.
Treatment with AC pulsed electromagnetic
fields normalizes the latency of the
visual evoked response in a multiple sclerosis patient with
optic atrophy.
Sandyk R.
Department of Neuroscience at the Institute
for Biomedical Engineering and
Rehabilitation Services of Touro College, Dix Hills, NY 11746,
USA.
Visual evoked response (VER) studies have
been utilized as supportive
information for the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) and may
be useful in
objectively monitoring the effects of various therapeutic
modalities. Delayed
latency of the VER, which reflects slowed impulse transmission
in the optic
pathways, is the most characteristic abnormality associated with
the disease.
Brief transcranial applications of AC pulsed electromagnetic
fields (EMFs) in
the picotesla flux density are efficacious in the symptomatic
treatment of MS
and may also reestablish impulse transmission in the optic
pathways. A 36 year
old man developed an attack of right sided optic neuritis at the
age of 30. On
presentation he had blurring of vision with reduced acuity on
the right and
fundoscopic examination revealed pallor of the optic disc. A
checkerboard
pattern reversal VER showed a delayed latency to right eye
stimulation (P100 =
132 ms; normal range: 95-115 ms). After he received two
successive applications
of AC pulsed EMFs of 7.5 picotesla flux density each of 20
minutes duration
administered transcranially, there was a dramatic improvement
in vision and the
VER latency reverted to normal (P100= 107 ms). The rapid
improvement in vision
coupled with the normalization of the VER latency despite the
presence of optic
atrophy, which reflects chronic demyelination of the optic
nerve, cannot be
explained on the basis of partial or full reformation of myelin.
It is proposed
that in MS synaptic neurotransmitter deficiency is associated
with the visual
impairment and delayed VER latency following optic neuritis and
that the
recovery of the VER latency by treatment with pulsed EMFs is
related to
enhancement of synaptic neurotransmitter functions in the
retina and central
optic pathways. Recovery of the VER latency in MS
patients may have important
implications with respect to the treatment of visual impairment
and prevention
of visual loss. Specifically, repeated pulsed applications
of EMFs may maintain
impulse transmission in the optic nerve and thus potentially
sustain its
viability.
PMID: 9639241 [PubMed - indexed for
MEDLINE]
10: Int J Neurosci. 1997 Nov;92(1-2):95-102.
Treatment with electromagnetic fields
improves dual-task performance (talking
while walking) in multiple sclerosis.
Sandyk R.
Department of Neuroscience, Touro College, Dix Hills, NY 11746, USA.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is associated with
an increased risk of falling
resulting from visual disturbances, difficulties with gait and
balance, apraxia
of gait and peripheral neuropathy. These factors often interact
synergistically
to compromise the patient's gait stability. It has long been
recognized that
walking involves a cognitive component and that simultaneous
cognitive and motor
operations (dual-task) such as talking while walking may
interfere with normal
ambulation. Talking while walking reflects an example of a
dual-task which is
frequently impaired in MS patients. Impaired dual-task
performance during
walking may compromise the patient's gait and explain why in
some circumstances,
MS patients unexpectedly lose their balance and fall. Frontal
lobe dysfunction,
which commonly occurs in MS patients, may disrupt dual-task
performance and
increase the risk of falling in these patients. This report
concerns a 36 old
man with remitting-progressive MS with an EDSS score of 5.5 who
experienced
marked increase in spasticity in the legs and trunk and
worsening of his gait
and balance, occasionally resulting in falling, when talking
while walking. His
gait and balance improved dramatically after he received two
successive
transcranial treatments, each of 45 minutes, with AC pulsed
electromagnetic
fields (EMFs) of 7.5 picotesla flux density. Simultaneously,
there was
improvement in dual-task performance to the extent that
talking while walking
did not adversely affect his ambulation. In addition,
neuropsychological testing
revealed an almost 5-fold increase in word output on the
Thurstone's
Word-Fluency Test, which is sensitive to frontal lobe
dysfunction. It is
suggested that facilitation of dual-task performance during
ambulation
contributes to the overall improvement of gait and balance
observed in MS
patients receiving transcranial treatment with AC pulsed EMFs.
PMID: 9522259 [PubMed - indexed for
MEDLINE]
11: J Altern Complement Med. 1997 Winter;3(4):365-86.
Therapeutic effects of alternating
current pulsed electromagnetic fields in
multiple sclerosis.
Sandyk R.
Department of Neuroscience, Institute for
Biomedical Engineering and
Rehabilitation Services of Touro College, Dix Hills, New York,
USA.
Multiple sclerosis is the third most common
cause of severe disability in
patients between the ages of 15 and 50 years. The cause of the
disease and its
pathogenesis remain unknown. The last 20 years have seen only
meager advances in
the development of effective treatments for the disease. No
specific treatment
modality can cure the disease or alter its long-term course and
eventual
outcome. Moreover, there are no agents or treatments that will
restore premorbid
neuronal function. A host of biological phenomena associated
with the disease
involving interactions among genetic, environmental,
immunologic, and hormonal
factors, cannot be explained on the basis of demyelination
alone and therefore
require refocusing attention on alternative explanations, one
of which
implicates the pineal gland as pivotal. The pineal gland
functions as a
magnetoreceptor organ. This biological property of the gland
provided the
impetus for the development of a novel and highly effective
therapeutic
modality, which involves transcranial applications of
alternating current (AC)
pulsed electromagnetic fields in the picotesla flux density.
This review
summarizes recent clinical work on the effects of transcranially
applied pulsed
electromagnetic fields for the symptomatic treatment of the
disease.
Publication Types:
Review
Review, Tutorial
PMID: 9449058 [PubMed - indexed for
MEDLINE]
12: J Altern Complement Med. 1997 Fall;3(3):267-90.
Role of the pineal gland in multiple sclerosis: a hypothesis.
Sandyk R.
Department of Neuroscience at the Institute
for Biomedical Engineering and
Rehabilitation Services of Touro College, Dix Hills, NY, USA.
Despite intensive research over the past
several decades, the etiology and
pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS) remain elusive. The last
20 years have
seen only meager advances in the treatment of the disease in
part because too
much attention has been devoted to the process of demyelination
and its
relationship to the neurologic symptoms and recovery of the
disease. A host of
biological phenomena associated with the disease involving
interactions among
genetic, environmental, immunologic, and hormonal factors,
cannot be explained
on the basis of demyelination and, therefore, require
refocusing attention on
alternative explanations, one of which implicates the pineal
gland as the
pivotal mover of the disease. This review summarizes the
evidence linking
dysfunction of the pineal gland with the epidemiology,
pathogenesis, clinical
manifestations, and course of the disease. The pineal hypothesis
of MS also
provided the impetus for the development of a novel and highly
effective
therapeutic modality, one that involves the transcranial
application of AC
pulsed electromagnetic fields in the picotesla flux density.
Publication Types:
Review
Review, Tutorial
PMID: 9430330 [PubMed - indexed for
MEDLINE]
13: Int J Neurosci. 1997 Aug;90(3-4):177-85.
Treatment with electromagnetic fields
reverses the long-term clinical course of
a patient with chronic progressive multiple sclerosis.
Sandyk R.
Department of Neuroscience, Touro College, Dix Hills, NY 11746, USA.
It is estimated that 10-20% of patients
with multiple sclerosis (MS) have a
chronic progressive (CP) course characterized by an insidious
onset of
neurological deficits followed by steady progression of
disability in the
absence of symptomatic remission. To date no therapeutic
modality has proven
effective in reversing the clinical course of CP MS although
there are
indications that prolonged treatment with picotesla
electromagnetic fields
(EMFs) alters the clinical course of patients with CP MS. A 40
year-old woman
presented in December of 1992 with CP MS with symptoms of
spastic paraplegia,
loss of trunk control, marked weakness of the upper limbs with
loss of fine and
gross motor hand functions, severe fatigue, cognitive deficits,
mental
depression, and autonomic dysfunction with neurogenic bladder
and bowel
incontinence. Her symptoms began at the age of 18 with weakness
of the right leg
and fatigue with long distance walking and over the ensuing
years she
experienced steady deterioration of functions. In 1985 she
became wheelchair
dependent and it was anticipated that within 1-2 years she would
become
functionally quadriplegic. In December of 1992 she began
experimental treatment
with EMFs. While receiving regularly weekly transcortical
treatments with AC
pulsed EMFs in the picotesla range intensity she experienced
during the first
year improvement in mental functions, return of strength in
the upper
extremities, and recovery of trunk control. During the second
year she
experienced the return of more hip functions and recovery of
motor functions
began in her legs. For the first time in years she can now
initiate dorsiflexion
of her ankles and actively extend her knees voluntarily. Over
the past year she
started to show signs of redevelopment of reciprocal gait.
Presently, with
enough function restored in her legs, she is learning to walk
with a walker and
is able to stand unassisted and maintain her balance for a
few minutes. She also
regained about 80% of functions in the upper limbs and hands.
Most remarkably,
there was no further progression of the disease during the 4
years course of
magnetic therapy. This patient's clinical recovery cannot
be explained on the
basis of a spontaneous remission. It is suggested that pulsed
applications of
picotesla EMFs affect the neurobiological and immunological
mechanisms
underlying the pathogenesis of CP MS.
Publication Types:
Review
Review, Tutorial
PMID: 9352426 [PubMed - indexed for
MEDLINE]
14: Int J Neurosci. 1997 Aug;90(3-4):145-57.
Resolution of sleep paralysis by weak
electromagnetic fields in a patient with
multiple sclerosis.
Sandyk R.
Department of Neuroscience, Touro College, Dix Hills, NY 11746, USA.
Sleep paralysis refers to episodes of
inability to move during the onset of
sleep or more commonly upon awakening. Patients often describe
the sensation of
struggling to move and may experience simultaneous frightening
vivid
hallucinations and dreams. Sleep paralysis and other
manifestations of
dissociated states of wakefulness and sleep, which reflect
deficient
monoaminergic regulation of neural modulators of REM sleep, have
been reported
in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). A 40 year old woman
with
remitting-progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) experienced
episodes of sleep
paralysis since the age of 16, four years prior to the onset of
her neurological
symptoms. Episodes of sleep paralysis, which manifested at a
frequency of about
once a week, occurred only upon awakening in the morning and
were considered by
the patient as a most terrifying experience. Periods of mental
stress, sleep
deprivation, physical fatigue and exacerbation of MS symptoms
appeared to
enhance the occurrence of sleep paralysis. In July of 1992 the
patient began
experimental treatment with AC pulsed applications of picotesla
intensity
electromagnetic fields (EMFs) of which were applied
extracerebrally 1-2 times per
week. During the course of treatment with EMFs the patient
made a dramatic
recovery of symptoms with improvement in vision, mobility,
balance, bladder
control, fatigue and short term memory. In addition, her
baseline pattern reversal
visual evoked potential studies, which showed abnormally
prolonged latencies in
both eyes, normalized 3 weeks after the initiation of
magnetic therapy and remained
normal more than 2.5 years later. Since the introduction of
magnetic therapy episodes
of sleep paralysis gradually \diminished and abated
completely over the past 3 years.
This report suggests that MS may be associated with deficient
REM sleep inhibitory
neural mechanisms leading to sleep paralysis secondary to the
intrusion of REM sleep
atonia and dream imagery into the waking state. Pineal
melatonin and monoaminergic
neurons have been implicated in the induction and maintenance
of REM sleep and the
pathogenesis of sleep paralysis and it is suggested that
resolution of sleep
paralysis in this patient by AC pulsed applications of EMFs
was related to
enhancement of melatonin circadian rhythms and cerebral
serotoninergic
neurotransmission.
Publication Types:
Review
Review, Tutorial
PMID: 9352423 [PubMed - indexed for
MEDLINE]
15: Int J Neurosci. 1997 Jun;90(1-2):59-74.
Immediate recovery of cognitive
functions and resolution of fatigue by treatment
with weak electromagnetic fields in a patient with multiple
sclerosis.
Sandyk R.
Department of Neuroscience, Institute for
Biomedical Engineering, Dix Hills, NY,
USA.
Cognitive deficits are common among
patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). The
pathogenetic mechanisms underlying the cognitive impairment in
MS are unknown
and there is presently no effective therapeutic modality which
has shown
efficacy in improving cognitive deficits in MS. A 53 year old
college professor
with a long history of secondary progressive MS experienced,
over the preceding
year, noticeable deterioration in cognitive functions with
difficulties in short
and long term memory, word finding in spontaneous speech,
attention and
concentration span. Unable to pursue his academic activities, he
was considering
early retirement. Mental examination disclosed features of
subcortical and
cortical dementia involving frontal lobe, left hemispheric and
right hemispheric
dysfunction. Almost immediately following the extracerebral
application of AC
pulsed electromagnetic fields (EMFs) of 7.5 picotesla
intensity and a 4-Hz
sinusoidal wave, the patient experienced a heightend sense of
well being, which
he defined as enhancement of cognitive functions with a
feeling "like a cloud
lifted off my head." He reported heightend clarity of
thinking and during the
application of EMFs he felt that words were formed faster and
he experienced no
difficulty finding the appropriate words. His speech was
stronger and well
modulated and he felt "energized" with resolution of his
fatigue. There was
improvement in manual dexterity and handwriting and testing
of constructional
praxis demonstrated improvement in visuospatial,
visuoperceptive and visuomotor
functions. It is suggested that some of the cognitive
deficits associated with
MS, which are caused by synaptic disruption of
neurotransmitter functions, may
be reversed through pulsed applications of picotesla range
EMFs.
PMID: 9285288 [PubMed - indexed for
MEDLINE]
16: Int J Neurosci. 1997 Jan;89(1-2):39-51.
Progressive cognitive improvement in
multiple sclerosis from treatment with
electromagnetic fields.
Sandyk R.
Department of Neuroscience, Touro College, Dix Hills, NY 11746, USA.
It has long been recognized that cognitive
impairment occurs in patients with
multiple sclerosis (MS) particularly among patients with a
chronic progressive
course. MS is considered a type of "subcortical dementia" in
which cognitive and
behavioral abnormalities resemble those observed in patients
with a frontal lobe
syndrome. The Bicycle Drawing Test is employed for the
neuropsychological
assessment of cognitive impairment specifically that of
mechanical reasoning and
visuographic functioning. It also provides clues concerning the
patient's
organizational skills which are subserved by the frontal lobes.
Extracerebral
pulsed applications of picotesla flux intensity electromagnetic
fields (EMFs)
have been shown to improve cognitive functions in patients with
MS. I present
three patients with long standing symptoms of MS who, on the
initial baseline,
pretreatment Bicycle Drawing Test, exhibited cognitive
impairment manifested by
omissions of essential details and deficient organizational
skills. All patients
demonstrated progressive improvement in their performance
during treatment with
EMFs lasting from 6-18 months. The improvement in cognitive
functions, which
occurred during the initial phases of the treatment, was
striking for the
changes in organizational skills reflecting frontal lobe
functions. These
findings demonstrate that progressive recovery of cognitive
functions in MS
patients are observed over time through continued
administration of picotesla
flux intensity EMFs. It is believed that the beneficial
cognitive effects of
these EMFs are related to increased synaptic
neurotransmission and that the
progressive cognitive improvement noted in these patients is
associated with
slow recovery of synaptic functions in monoaminergic
neurons of the frontal lobe
or its projections from subcortical areas.
PMID: 9134447 [PubMed - indexed for
MEDLINE]
17: Int J Neurosci. 1997 Jan;89(1-2):29-38.
Lack of a correlation between
demyelinating plaques on MRI scan and clinical
recovery in multiple sclerosis by treatment with
electromagnetic fields.
Sandyk R.
NeuroCommunication Research Laboratories, Danbury, CT 06811, USA.
A 50 year-old woman presented in January of
1995 with a prolonged history of
symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS) and was classified at the
time with a
remitting-progressive course. Her chief symptoms included
slurring of speech,
impairment of vision with intermittent diplopia, difficulties
with gait and
balance with spastic-ataxic gait, mental depression, insomnia,
fatigue, impaired
cognitive functions notably poor short term memory and recurrent
urinary tract
and sinus infections. An MRI scan showed multiple nodular
demyelinating lesions
scattered in the subcortical white matter and periventricularly
of both cerebral
hemispheres. Over the following 18 months, while receiving three
treatment
sessions per week with picotesla electro-magnetic fields (EMFs)
which were
applied extracranially, she showed a significant recovery in
both physical and
mental symptoms and additionally experienced decreased
susceptibility to
infections. In addition, the course of her disease
appeared to have stabilized
as opposed to the preceding 5 years during which time she
experienced insidious,
steady deterioration in her functioning. Despite this remarkable
clinical
recovery through the application of EMFs, and MRI scan
obtained at the same
diagnostic center 18 months after initiation of treatment
with EMFs showed no
changes in the number and size of the demyelinating plaques.
These findings
demonstrate lack of a correlation between recovery of
symptoms and the number
and extent of demyelinating plaques on MRI scan. It has
been known since the
days of Charcot in the latter half of the 19th century that in
MS there is a
great disparity between the histopathological changes of the
disease and
neurologic deficits. This report enhances the notion that
demyelination may
reflect an epiphenomenon of the disease.
PMID: 9134446 [PubMed - indexed for
MEDLINE]
18: Int J Neurosci. 1996 Nov;88(1-2):75-82.
Treatment with electromagnetic field
alters the clinical course of chronic
progressive multiple sclerosis--a case report.
Sandyk R.
NeuroCommunication Research Laboratories, Danbury, CT 06811, USA.
It is estimated that 10-20% of patients
with multiple sclerosis (MS) have a
chronic progressive (CP) course characterized by an insidious of
neurological
deficits followed by steady progression of disability in the
absence of
symptomatic remission. No therapeutic modality has shown
specific efficacy in
the treatment of patients with CP MS and there are no data to
indicate that any
pharmacologic or other modality alters the clinical course of CP
MS. Treatment
with picotesla electromagnetic fields (EMFs) is a highly
effective modality for
the symptomatic management of MS including the chronic
progressive form. In
addition, this treatment also appears to alter the natural
course of the disease
in CP patients. A 36 year-old man experienced, at the age of 31,
insidious
weakness in the legs and several months later developed
difficulties with
balance with ataxia of gait. His gait abnormality progressed
slowly over the
following years and at the age of 35 he was severely disabled
with spastic
paraparesis and ataxia using a rolling walker for ambulation and
a scooter for
longer distances. In particular, his disability had progressed
rapidly over the
six months preceding the initiation of treatment with EMFs. He
as classified
have CP MS and his prognosis was considered extremely
unfavorable due to the
degree of cerebellar and pyramidal tract involvement and the
rapid course of
deterioration. In July 1995 the patient began experimental
treatment with EMFs.
While receiving three treatment sessions a week over 12
months he experienced
improvement in cerebellar functions such as gait, balance and
tremor as well as
bowel and bladder functions, mood, sleep and cognitive
function and resolution
of diplopia, blurring of vision, dysarthria, paresthesias in
the hands, and
fatigue. Most remarkably, there was no further progression of
the disease during
the course of magnetic therapy. This case illustrated that
treatment with EMFs,
in addition to producing symptomatic improvement, also
reverses the clinical
course of CP MS.
PMID: 9003966 [PubMed - indexed for
MEDLINE]
19: Int J Neurosci. 1996 Oct;87(1-2):5-15.
Suicidal behavior is attenuated in
patients with multiple sclerosis by treatment
with electromagnetic fields.
Sandyk R.
NeuroCommunication Research Laboratories, Danbury, CT 06811, USA.
A marked decrease in the levels of
serotonin (5-HT) and its metabolite (5-HIAA)
has been demonstrated in postmortem studies of suicide victims
with various
psychiatric disorders. Depression is the most common mental
manifestation of
multiple sclerosis (MS) which accounts for the high incidence of
suicide in this
disease. CSF 5-HIAA concentrations are reduced in MS patients
and nocturnal
plasma melatonin levels were found to be lower in suicidal than
in nonsuicidal
patients. These findings suggest that the increased risk of
suicide in MS
patients may be related to decreased 5-HT functions and blunted
circadian
melatonin secretion. Previous studies have demonstrated that
extracerebral
applications of pulsed electromagnetic fields (EMFs) in the
picotesla range
rapidly improved motor, sensory, affective and cognitive
deficits in MS.
Augmentation of cerebral 5-HT synthesis and resynchronization
of circadian
melatonin secretion has been suggested as a key mechanism by
which these EMFs
improved symptoms of the disease. Therefore, the
prediction was made that this
treatment modality would result in attenuation of suicidal
behavior in MS
patients. The present report concerns three women with
remitting-progressive MS
who exhibited suicidal behavior during the course of their
illness. All patients
had frequent suicidal thoughts over several years and
experienced resolution of
suicidal behavior within several weeks after introduction of
EMFs treatment with
no recurrence of symptoms during a follow-up of months to 3.5
years. These
findings demonstrate that in MS pulsed applications of
picotesla level EMFs
improve mental depression and may reduce the risk of suicide
by a mechanism
involving the augmentation of 5-HT neurotransmission and
resynchronization of
circadian melatonin secretion.
PMID: 8913816 [PubMed - indexed for
MEDLINE]
20: Int J Neurosci. 1996 Oct;87(1-2):1-4.
Electromagnetic fields for treatment of multiple sclerosis.
Sandyk R.
Publication Types:
Editorial
PMID: 8913815 [PubMed - indexed for
MEDLINE]
21: Int J Neurosci. 1996 Jul;86(1-2):79-85.
Effect of weak electromagnetic fields on
body image perception in patients with
multiple sclerosis.
Sandyk R.
NeuroCommunication Research Laboratories, Danbury, CT 06811, USA.
Cerebellar ataxia is one of the most
disabling symptoms of multiple sclerosis
(MS) and also one of the least responsive to pharmacotherapy.
However,
cerebellar symptoms often improve dramatically in MS patients by
brief,
extracerebral applications of picotesla flux electromagnetic
fields (EMFs). This
report concerns two MS patients with chronic disabling ataxia
who experienced
rapid improvement in gait and balance after receiving a series
of treatments
with EMFs. To assess whether improvement in cerebellar gait is
accompanied by
changes in body image perception, a parietal lobe function, both
patients were
administered the Human Figure Drawing Test before and after a
series of brief
treatments with EMFs. Prior to application of EMFs these
patients' free drawings
of a person showed a figure with a wide-based stance
characteristic of
cerebellar ataxia. After receiving a series of EMFs
treatments both patients
demonstrated a change in body image perception with the
drawings of the human
figure showing a normal stance. These findings demonstrate
that in MS
improvement in cerebellar symptoms by pulsed applications of
picotesla EMFs is
associated with changes in the body image.
PMID: 8828062 [PubMed - indexed for
MEDLINE]
22: Int J Neurosci. 1996 Jul;86(1-2):67-77.
Treatment with weak electromagnetic
fields attenuates carbohydrate craving in a
patients with multiple sclerosis.
Sandyk R.
NeuroCommunication Research Laboratories, Danbury, CT 06811, USA.
Pharmacological studies have implicated
serotonergic (5-HT) neurons in the
regulation of food intake and food preference. It has been shown
that the urge
to consume carbohydrate rich foods is regulated by 5-HT activity
and that
carbohydrate craving is triggered by 5-HT deficiency in the
medical
hypothalamus. Ingestion of carbohydrate foods stimulates insulin
secretion which
accelerates the uptake of tryptophan, the precursor of 5-HT and
melatonin, into
the brain and pineal gland, respectively. Thus, carbohydrate
craving might be
considered a form of "self medication" aimed at correcting an
underlying
dysfunction of cerebral 5-HT and pineal melatonin functions. A
51 year old woman
with remitting-progressive MS experienced carbohydrate craving
during childhood
and adolescence and again in temporal association with the onset
of her first
neurological symptoms at the age of 45. Carbohydrate
craving, which resembled
the pattern observed in patients with seasonal affective
disorder (SAD), was
attenuated by a series of extracranial AC pulsed applications
of picotesla
(10(-12) Tesla) flux intensity electromagnetic fields (EMFs).
It is suggested
that AC pulsed EMFs applications activated retinal mechanisms
which, through
functional interactions with the medial hypothalamus,
initiated an increased
release of 5-HT and resynchronization of melatonin secretion
ultimately leading
to a decrease in carbohydrate craving. The occurrence of
carbohydrate craving in
early life may have increased the patient's vulnerability to
viral infection
given the importance of 5-HT and melatonin in immunomodulation
and the
regulation of the integrity of the blood brain barrier. The
recurrence of this
craving in temporal relation to the onset of neurological
symptoms suggests that
5-HT deficiency and impaired pineal melatonin functions are
linked to the timing
of onset of the clinical symptoms of the disease. The report
supports the role
of experimental factors in the pathophysiology of MS.
PMID: 8828061 [PubMed - indexed for
MEDLINE]
23: Int J Neurosci. 1996 Jul;86(1-2):33-45.
Reversal of an acute parkinsonian
syndrome associated with multiple sclerosis by
application of weak electromagnetic fields.
Sandyk R.
NeuroCommunication Research Laboratories, Danbury, CT 06811, USA.
The occurrence of movement disorders and
particularly Parkinsonian symptoms is
uncommon in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) despite the
rather frequent
presence of demyelinating plaques in the basal ganglia. This
disparity between
the occurrence of clinical symptoms in MS and the distribution
of demyelinating
plaques suggests that impairment of neurotransmitter functions
rather than
demyelination may be critical to the clinical manifestations of
the disease. A
48 year old woman with remitting-progressive MS developed a
bilateral
Parkinsonian syndrome in association with acute emotional stress
which resolved
after she received two brief successive extracerebral
applications of low
frequency picotesla flux density electromagnetic fields (EMFs).
It is believed
that in this patient Parkinsonism may have existed in a
subclinical form and
that acute stress, which previously has been shown to
precipitate symptoms of
Parkinson's disease, triggered the onset of Parkinsonism by
further reducing
dopaminergic and serotonergic neurotransmission in the basal
ganglia. The rapid
reversal of the Parkinsonian syndrome by EMFs was related to
a presumed
augmentation of dopaminergic and serotonergic
neurotransmission which, on the
basis of CSF studies, is reduced in chronic MS patients.
The efficacy of EMFs in
the treatment of Parkinson's disease had been documented
previously but this
report demonstrates that this treatment modality is beneficial
also for the
treatment of Parkinsonism developing in the setting of other
neurodegenerative
disorders.
PMID: 8828058 [PubMed - indexed for
MEDLINE]
24: Int J Neurosci. 1996 Mar;85(1-2):125-9.
Weak electromagnetic fields potentiate
the effects of 4-aminopyridine in
multiple sclerosis.
Sandyk R.
Publication Types:
Letter
PMID: 8727688 [PubMed - indexed for
MEDLINE]
25: Int J Neurosci. 1996 Mar;85(1-2):101-10.
Application of weak electromagnetic
fields facilitates sensory-motor integration
in patients with multiple sclerosis.
Sandyk R.
NeuroCommunication Research Laboratories, Danbury, CT 06811, USA.
Electrophysiological studies in behaving
animals have shown the function of
cerebral serotonin (5-HT) neurons to be altered in association
with motor output
in both the tonic and repetitive modes and also in relation to
an orienting
response. Brainstem 5-HT neurons increase their firing rate two
to five-fold
during repetitive motor activity to facilitate motor output
while simultaneously
suppressing transmission in sensory pathways. Reciprocally,
during an orienting
response motor activity is suppressed and 5-HT neuronal activity
is inhibited to
facilitate transmission of sensory information. These reciprocal
changes in 5-HT
neuronal activity serve to facilitate brainstem reticular
sensory-motor
integration which, due to 5-HT neurotransmission deficiency, may
be disrupted in
patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). For instance, MS patients
are unable to
process auditory information in the presence of competing
ambient stimuli, while
under a controlled laboratory environment they demonstrate
unimpaired verbal
information processing. This report concerns three MS patients
who experienced
rapid deterioration in balance resulting in falling when
subjected, during
ambulation, to distracting external auditory stimuli. After
receiving a series
of treatments with low frequency picotesla range intensity
electromagnetic
fields (EMFs), which were applied extracranially for brief
periods, these
patients experienced resolution of these symptoms with
ambulation being
unaffected by auditory stimuli. It is suggested that
application of picotesla
EMFs may restore abnormal reticular sensory-motor integration
in MS patients
with the effect being related to facilitation of 5-HT
neurotransmission at both
junctional (synaptic) and nonjunctional neuronal target
sites.
PMID: 8727686 [PubMed - indexed for
MEDLINE]
26: Int J Neurosci. 1996 Mar;85(1-2):93-9.
Bidirectional effect of electromagnetic
fields on ketanserin-induced yawning in
patients with multiple sclerosis: the role of melatonin.
Sandyk R.
NeuroCommunication Research Laboratories, Danbury, CT 06811, USA.
5-HT2 receptors regulate sleep including
yawning behavior. Ritanserin, a
selective 5-HT2A receptor antagonist, increases the duration of
slow wave in
rats and humans. This effect is more pronounced during the light
period when
melatonin plasma levels are low; melatonin inhibits the sleep
effects of
ritanserin. These findings indicate that melatonin co-determines
the effects of
ritanserin on sleep. In a cohort of multiple sclerosis (MS)
patients ketanserin,
a selective 5-HT2A receptor antagonist, induces recurrent
yawning particularly
when administered in daytime. The frequency of yawning induced
by the drug was
modified by AC pulsed picotesla flux electromagnetic fields
(EMFs) which affect
melatonin secretion. Two MS patients are presented in whom the
frequency of
ketanserin-induced yawning was altered in opposite directions by
these EMFs. The
first patient, a 50 year old woman with a remitting-relapsing
course, developed
recurrent yawning and sleepiness after administration of
ketanserin (10 mg, PO).
Yawning was decreased dramatically during application of EMFs
but was unaffected
by a placebo EMFs treatment. The second patient, a 35 year old
man with a
chronic progressive course, manifested a single and brief yawn
after
administration of an equal dose of ketanserin. Yawning was
increased
dramatically during application of EMFs while remaining
unchanged during a
placebo EMFs treatment. These observations demonstrate a
bidirectional effect of
picotesla flux EMFs on ketanserin-induced yawning which may
be related to
differences in daytime melatonin plasma levels among MS
patients. If validated
by estimations of melatonin plasma levels in a larger cohort of
patients the
information derived from the effects of picotesla EMFs on
ketanserin-induced
yawning could be used to: (a) assess pineal melatonin functions
in patients with
MS; (b) indicate differences in pineal functions between male
and female MS
patients; and (c) indicate a relationship between plasma
melatonin levels and
the fatigue of MS.
PMID: 8727685 [PubMed - indexed for
MEDLINE]
27: Int J Neurosci. 1996 Mar;85(1-2):79-91.
Weak electromagnetic fields increase the
amplitude of the pattern reversal VEP
response in patients with multiple sclerosis.
Sandyk R.
NeuroCommunication Research Laboratories, Danbury, CT 06811, USA.
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. Brief, extracerebral
applications of
picotesla (pT) range flux intensity electromagnetic fields
(EMFs) of low
frequency have been shown efficacious in the treatment of motor
and cognitive
symptoms in MS implying that this treatment modality improves
action potential
transmission in demyelinating pathways. This report
documents three MS patients
with a remitting-progressive course in whom two successive
brief extracerebral
applications of pT range EMFs caused an immediate increase
(and normalization)
of the amplitudes of the visual evoked response in the eye
previously affected
by optic neuritis. However, the pretreatment prolonged
latencies of the evoked
responses remained essentially unchanged after the
administration of EMFs. Since
the latency of the VEP reflects the degree of conduction
velocity and the
amplitude the degree of conduction block in demyelinating optic
pathways, the
report demonstrates that extracerebral applications of these
EMFs may rapidly
reverse conduction block in demyelinating fibers. Reversal
of the conduction
block, which is though to be related to changes in axonal Na+
and K+ channels
and synaptic neurotransmitter release, accounts for the
immediate improvement of
vision and other neurological deficits observed in MS
patients following
exposure to these EMFs.
PMID: 8727684 [PubMed - indexed for
MEDLINE]
28: Int J Neurosci. 1996 Feb;84(1-4):177-86.
Treatment with weak electromagnetic
fields improves fatigue associated with
multiple sclerosis.
Sandyk R.
NeuroCommunication Research Laboratories, Danbury, CT 06811, USA.
It is estimated that 75-90% of patients
with multiple sclerosis (MS) experience
fatigue at some point during the course of the disease and that
in about half of
these patients, subjective fatigue is a primary complaint. In
the majority of
patients fatigue is present throughout the course of the day
being most
prominent in the mid to late afternoon. Sleepiness is not
prominent, but
patients report that rest may attenuate fatigability. The
pathophysiology of the
fatigue of MS remains unknown. Delayed impulse conduction in
demyelinated zones
may render transmission in the brainstem reticular formation
less effective. In
addition, the observation that rest may restore energy and that
administration
of pemoline and amantadine, which increase the synthesis and
release of
monoamines, often improve the fatigue of MS suggest that
depletion of
neurotransmitter stores in damaged neurons may contribute
significantly to the
development of fatigue in these patients. The present report
concerns three MS
patients who experienced over several years continuous and
debilitating fatigue
throughout the course of the day. Fatigue was exacerbated by
increased physical
activity and was not improved by rest. After receiving a
course of treatments
with picotesla flux electromagnetic fields (EMFs), which were
applied
extracranially, all patients experienced improvement in
fatigue. Remarkably,
patients noted that several months after initiation of
treatment with EMFs they
were able to recover, after a short period of rest, from
fatigue which followed
increased physical activity. These observations suggest that
replenishment of
monoamine stores in neurons damaged by demyelination in the
brainstem reticular
formation by periodic applications of picotesla flux
intensity EMFs may lead to
more effective impulse conduction and thus to improvement in
fatigue including
rapid recovery of fatigue after rest.
PMID: 8707480 [PubMed - indexed for
MEDLINE]
29: Int J Neurosci. 1996 Feb;84(1-4):165-75.
Effect of weak electromagnetic fields on
the amplitude of the pattern reversal
VEP response in Parkinson's disease.
Sandyk R.
NeuroCommunication Research Laboratories, Danbury, CT 06811, USA.
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.
Publication Types:
Clinical Trial
Randomized Controlled Trial
PMID: 8707479 [PubMed - indexed for
MEDLINE]
30: Int J Neurosci. 1996 Feb;84(1-4):157-64.
Resolution of partial cataplexy in
multiple sclerosis by treatment with weak
electromagnetic fields.
Sandyk R.
NeuroCommunication Research Laboratories, Danbury, CT 06811, USA.
Cataplexy, an ancillary symptom of
narcolepsy, involves the sudden loss of
muscle tone without altered consciousness usually brought on by
sudden
excitement or emotional influence and extreme exertions
(Guilleminault et al.,
1974; Parks et al., 1974; Guilleminault, 1976; Aldrich, 1992;
1993; Scrima,
1981; Baker, 1985). Attacks of generalized cataplexy produce
complete atonic,
areflexic partial or complete paralysis of striated muscles
commonly involving
the leg muscles resulting in collapse of the knees and falling
while milder
forms often termed partial cataplexy may manifest by sagging of
the face,
eyelid, or jaw, dysarthria, blurred vision, drooping of the
head, weakness of an
arm or leg, buckling at the knees, or simply a momentary
sensation of weakness
that is imperceptible to observers (Guilleminault, 1976;
Aldrich, 1993). The
duration of cataplexy is usually a few seconds, although severe
episodes can
last several minutes and rarely several hours or days in the
case of "status
cataplecticus" (Parkes et al., 1974; Guilleminault, 1976;
Billiard & Cadilhac,
1985; Aldrich, 1992; 1993). This report concerns a 51 year
old man with chronic
progressive multiple sclerosis who exhibited daily episodes
of partial cataplexy
which resolved within 3 weeks after he received treatment
with picotesla
electromagnetic fields.
PMID: 8707478 [PubMed - indexed for
MEDLINE]
31: Int J Neurosci. 1995 Dec;83(3-4):187-98.
Premenstrual exacerbation of symptoms in
multiple sclerosis is attenuated by
treatment with weak electromagnetic fields.
Sandyk R.
NeuroCommunication Research Laboratories, Danbury, CT 06811, USA.
It has been suspected that hormonal factors
contribute to the etiology and
pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS). A direct relationship
between MS and
endocrine functions is suggested by changes in disease activity
during the
phases of the menstrual cycle. A subset of women with MS
experience premenstrual
worsening of symptoms which improve dramatically with the onset
of menstruation.
The biological mechanisms underlying these changes in disease
activity are
unexplained but may be related to cyclical fluctuations in
gonadal sex steroid
hormones, abrupt changes in the activity of the endogenous
opioid peptides and
fluctuations in plasma melatonin levels which affect neuronal
excitability and
immune functions. Extracerebral application of weak
electromagnetic fields
(EMFs) in the picotesla range intensity has been reported
efficacious in the
treatment of MS with patients experiencing sustained improvement
in motor,
sensory, autonomic, affective and cognitive functions. The
present report
concerns two women with chronic progressive stage MS who
experienced, coincident
with increasing functional disability, regular worsening of
their symptoms
beginning about a week before menstruation and abating with the
onset of
menstruation. These symptoms resolved two months after the
initiation of
treatment with EMFs. The report supports the association
between the endocrine
system and MS and indicates that brief, extracranial
applications of these
magnetic fields modifies the activity of neuroendocrine
systems which
precipitate worsening of MS symptoms premenstrually.
Publication Types:
Review
Review, Tutorial
PMID: 8869427 [PubMed - indexed for
MEDLINE]
32: Int J Neurosci. 1995 Nov;83(1-2):81-92.
Resolution of dysarthria in multiple
sclerosis by treatment with weak
electromagnetic fields.
Sandyk R.
NeuroCommunication Research Laboratories, Danbury, CT 06811, USA.
It has been reported that 50% or more of
patients diagnosed with multiple
sclerosis (MS) exhibit speech impairment (dysarthria) which in
some cases can be
exceedingly disabling. Currently there is no effective medical
treatment for the
dysarthria of MS which occurs as a result of lesions to the
cerebellum and its
outflow tracts. It was reported recently that extracranial
application of brief
AC pulsed electromagnetic fields (EMFs) in the picotesla (pT)
range intensity
produced in patients with MS sustained improvement in motor
functions including
cerebellar symptomatology. This communication concerns two MS
patients with a
chronic progressive course who exhibited severe dysarthria which
improved
already during the initial treatment with pulsed EMFs and which
resolved
completely 3-4 weeks later. Since application of EMFs has
been shown to alter:
(a) the resting membrane potential and synaptic
neurotransmitter release through
an effect involving changes in transmembrane calcium flux;
and (b) the secretion
of pineal melatonin which in turn influences the synthesis
and release of
serotonin (5-HT) and gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA) in the
cerebellum, it is
suggested that the immediate improvement of the dysarthria
occurred as a result
of changes in cerebellar neurotransmitter functions
particularly 5-HT and GABA
rather than from remyelination.
PMID: 8746751 [PubMed - indexed for
MEDLINE]
33: Int J Neurosci. 1995 Nov;83(1-2):69-79.
Reversal of alexia in multiple sclerosis by weak electromagnetic fields.
Sandyk R.
NeuroCommunication Research Laboratories, Danbury, CT 06811, USA.
The occurrence of cognitive deficits in
patients with multiple sclerosis (MS)
has been recognized since 1877 when Charcot first observed
"enfeeblement of
memory" in his patients. Cognitive deficits have been reported
in almost 50% of
patients with a relapsing-remitting course and in a
significantly higher
percentage of patients with a chronic progressive course leading
to intellectual
disability which is often severe enough to preclude employment.
MS is considered
a form of subcortical dementia and the occurrence of classical
cortical
disorders such as aphasia, agnosia and apraxia is reported to be
rare in the
disease. However, in my experience alexia, a reading impairment
unrelated to
visual acuity or visual field defects, is common in patients
with MS. Recently,
I reported that treatment with picotesla range electromagnetic
fields (EMFs) is
an efficacious modality in the management of both the motor and
cognitive
symptoms of MS. Three patients with MS who developed alexia as a
manifestation
of the disease are presented. In all patients the alexia was
reversed several
months after they began treatment with EMFs. Since alexia
usually reflects a
disconnection syndrome whereby lesions involving the left
visual cortex and the
splenium of the corpus callosum disconnect language
association areas from
visual association areas, it is suggested that reversal of
the alexia in these
patients by EMFs was related to improved interhemispheric
transcallosal
transmission of visual information. In addition, it is
conceivable that changes
in the metabolism of monoamines, which are involved in visual
information
processing and reading comprehension, may have been important in
causing
reversal of the alexia. This report further supports the unique
efficacy of this
treatment modality in reversing specific cognitive deficits in
MS.
Publication Types:
Review
Review, Tutorial
PMID: 8746750 [PubMed - indexed for
MEDLINE]
34: Int J Neurosci. 1995 Nov;83(1-2):45-57.
Long term beneficial effects of weak
electromagnetic fields in multiple
sclerosis.
Sandyk R.
NeuroCommunication Research Laboratories, Danbury, CT 06811, USA.
A 39 year-old severely disabled woman with
a 19 year history of chronic
relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) began to experience
improvement in
symptoms within 24 hours after she received experimental
treatment with
picotesla electromagnetic fields (EMFs). Pattern reversal visual
evoked
potential (VEP) study obtained three weeks after the initiation
of the first
magnetic treatment showed a return to normal of the P100
latencies in each eye.
The patient continued to receive 1-2 EMFs treatments per week
and during the
following 32 months she made a dramatic recovery with resolution
of diplopia,
blurring of vision, dysarthria, ataxia of gait, and bladder
dysfunction as well
as improvement in fatigue, heat tolerance, mood, sleep, libido,
and cognitive
functions. VEP studies, which were repeated in April of 1995
more than 2 1/2
years after the initiation of magnetic treatment, showed that
P100 latencies
remained normal in each eye providing objective documentation
that continued
application of these EMFs may sustain normal conduction in
the damaged optic
pathways over a long period of time. This is the first
case report documenting
the dramatic long term beneficial effects of treatment with
picotesla range EMFs
in a patient with MS.
Publication Types:
Review
Review, Tutorial
PMID: 8746748 [PubMed - indexed for
MEDLINE]
35: Int J Neurosci. 1995 Jun;82(3-4):285-302.
Weak electromagnetic fields improve body
image perception in patients with
multiple sclerosis.
Sandyk R.
NeuroCommunication Research Laboratories, Danbury, CT 06811, USA.
Neuropsychological studies have
demonstrated that multiple sclerosis (MS) is
associated with various cognitive deficits and it has been
suggested that it be
considered a form of subcortical dementia. It is now recognized
that
visuoperceptive and visuomotor deficits commonly occur in MS
patients
particularly in those with chronic progressive course of the
disease. The Human
Figure Drawing Test has been employed in the assessment of
generalized
intellectual deterioration and specifically in the evaluation of
visuoperceptive, visuospatial and visuoconstructional abilities
in brain injured
patients. I have demonstrated recently, on the basis of various
drawing test,
the external application of electromagnetic fields (EMFs) in the
picotesla (pT)
range intensity improved visuoperceptive and visuospatial
functions in patients
with MS. In the present communication I present five MS patients
who were
administered the Human Figure Drawing Test before and after a
series of
treatments with EMFs. Prior to application of EMFs four of these
patients'
drawings showed distortions, poor perspectives, impoverished
facial expression,
and lack of attention to details suggesting poor body image
perception related
to right posterior hemispheric dysfunction. In response to
the administration of
EMFs the group demonstrated improvement in motor disability
which was associated
with a striking improvement in the drawing particularly the
drawings of the face
the perception of which is localized to the right parietal
lobe. These findings
demonstrate that treatment with pT EMFs improves body image
perception in MS
patients thus corroborating previous observations which
demonstrated this
treatment modality to exert beneficial effects on cognitive
functions in
patients with MS.
PMID: 7558655 [PubMed - indexed for
MEDLINE]
36: Int J Neurosci. 1995 Jun;82(3-4):223-42.
Chronic relapsing multiple sclerosis: a
case of rapid recovery by application of
weak electromagnetic fields.
Sandyk R.
NeuroCommunication Research Laboratories, Danbury, CT 06811, USA.
A 54 year-old woman was diagnosed with
multiple sclerosis (MS) in 1985 at the
age of 45 after she developed diplopia, slurred speech, and
weakness in the
right leg. A Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan obtained in
1985 showed
several areas of plaque formation distributed in the
periventricular white
matter and centrum semiovale bilaterally. Coincident with slow
deterioration in
her condition since 1990 a second MRI scan was obtained in 1991
which showed a
considerable increase in the number and size of plaques
throughout both cerebral
hemispheres, subcortical white matter, periventricularly and
brainstem. In 1994,
the patient received treatment with Interferon beta- 1b
(Betaseron) for 6 months
with no improvement in symptoms. However, following two
successive extracranial
applications of pulsed electromagnetic fields (EMFs) in the
picotesla (pT) range
each of 20 minutes duration the patient experienced an
immediate improvement in
symptoms most dramatically in gait, balance, speech, level of
energy,
swallowing, mood, and vision. On a maintenance program of
3 treatments per month
the patient's only symptom is mild right foot and leg weakness.
The report
points to the unique efficacy of externally applied pT range
EMFs in the
symptomatic treatment of MS, indicates a lack of an association
between the
extent of demyelinating plaques on MRI scan and rate and extent
of recovery in
response to EMFs, and supports the notion that dysfunction of
synaptic
conductivity due to neurotransmitter deficiency particularly of
serotonin (5-HT)
contributes more significantly to the development of MS symptoms
than the
process of demyelination which clinically seems to represent an
epiphenomenon of
the disease.
Publication Types:
Review
Review, Tutorial
PMID: 7558651 [PubMed - indexed for
MEDLINE]
37: Int J Neurosci. 1995 Apr;81(3-4):215-24.
Resolution of Lhermitte's sign in multiple
sclerosis by treatment with weak
electromagnetic fields.
Sandyk R, Dann LC.
NeuroCommunication Research Laboratories, Danbury, CT 06811, USA.
Lhermitte's sign, the occurrence of an
electrical sensation passing down the
back to the legs on flexion of the neck is a common and
characteristic feature
of multiple sclerosis (MS) which is related to spinal cord
lesions affecting the
posterior columns and cervical nerve roots. The Lhermitte's
sign, which has been
reported to occur at some time in up to 25% of MS patients, is
seldom painful
but is often a cause of distress to the patient and usually a
marker of
increased disease activity. Treatment with extracranial
picotesla range pulsed
electromagnetic fields (EMFs) has been found efficacious in the
management of
various MS symptoms including pain syndromes. The present
communication concerns
three MS patients in whom two brief applications of EMFs
resulted in resolution
of the Lhermitte's sign which emerged during a period of
exacerbation of
symptoms in one patient and during a prolonged phase of symptom
deterioration in
the other two patients. As the cause of the Lhermitte's sign is
thought to
result from the spread of ectopic excitation in demyelinated
plaques in the
cervical and thoracic regions of the spinal cord, it is
hypothesized that the
effects of EMFs are related to the reduction of axonal
excitability via a
mechanism involving changes in ionic membrane permeability. A
systemic effect on
pain control systems is also postulated to occur secondary to
the effects of
EMFs on neurotransmitter activity and pineal melatonin
functions. This report
underscores the efficacy of picotesla EMFs in the management of
paroxysmal pain
symptoms in MS.
Publication Types:
Review
Review, Tutorial
PMID: 7628912 [PubMed - indexed for
MEDLINE]
38: Int J Neurosci. 1995 Apr;81(3-4):199-213.
Improvement of right hemispheric functions
in a child with Gilles de la
Tourette's syndrome by weak electromagnetic fields.
Sandyk R.
NeuroCommunication Research Laboratories, Danbury, CT 06811, USA.
Gilles de la Tourette's syndrome (GTS) is a
chronic, familial neuropsychiatric
disorder of unknown etiology characterized clinically by the
occurrence of motor
and vocal tics and by the presence of a variety of
neurobehavioral and
neurocognitive abnormalities including hyperactivity,
self-multilatory behavior,
obsessive-compulsive behavior, learning disabilities, and
conduct disorder. On
the basis of neuropsychological assessments it has been
suggested that GTS is
associated with greater right than left hemispheric dysfunction
which accounts
for decrements in visuospatial, visuoconstructional and
visuomotor skills in
these patients. Recent case studies have demonstrated that
extracranial
application of electromagnetic fields (EMFs) in the picotesla
(pT) range
intensity improves visuospatial and visuoperceptive functions in
patients with
neurodegenerative disorders including Parkinson's disease,
multiple sclerosis
and Alzheimer's disease. I now present a 6 1/2 year old boy
with GTS in whom
this treatment modality produced, in addition to symptomatic
behavioral
improvement, also improvement in visuoconstructional and
visuomotor skills as
evidenced on various drawing tasks particularly copy of the
Rey-Osterrieth
Complex Figure, a task which is especially vulnerable to right
hemispheric
functions. These findings suggest that pT range EMFs may
be useful for the
treatment of GTS and related disorders and also reverse some of
the cognitive
impairments associated with the disease which are related to
right hemispheric
dysfunction and which contribute to learning disabilities in
these patients.
Publication Types:
Review
Review, Tutorial
PMID: 7628911 [PubMed - indexed for
MEDLINE]
39: Int J Neurosci. 1994 Dec;79(3-4):199-212.
Weak electromagnetic fields attenuate tremor in multiple sclerosis.
Sandyk R, Dann LC.
NeuroCommunication Research Laboratories, Danbury, CT 06811, USA.
It has been estimated that about 75% of
patients diagnosed with multiple
sclerosis (MS) have tremor which can be exceedingly disabling.
The most common
tremor observed in patients with MS is a cerebellar intention
tremor ('kinetic
tremor') although postural tremor ('static tremor') is also
common and often
extremely incapacitating. Currently there is no effective
medical treatment for
the tremor of MS which, in some severe cases, may be abolished
by stereotactic
thalamotomy. It was reported recently that extracranial
application of brief AC
pulsed electromagnetic fields (EMFs) in the picotesla (pT) range
produced
improvement in motor and cognitive functions in patients with
MS. The present
communication concerns three MS patients with a chronic
progressive course of
the disease (mean age: 39.3 +/- 8.3 years; mean duration of
illness: 11.3 +/-
3.2 years) in whom brief external applications of pulsed EMFs
of 7.5 pT
intensity reduced intention and postural tremors resulting in
significant
functional improvement. The report suggests that these
extremely low intensity
EMFs are beneficial also in the treatment of tremors in MS and
that this
treatment may serve as an alternative method to stereotactic
thalamotomy in the
management of tremor in MS. The mechanisms by which EMFs
attenuate the tremors
of MS are complex and are thought to involve augmentation of
GABA and serotonin
(5-HT) neurotransmission in the cerebellum and its outflow
tracts.
PMID: 7744562 [PubMed - indexed for
MEDLINE]
40: Int J Neurosci. 1994 Dec;79(3-4):169-84.
Reversal of visuospatial hemi-inattention
in patients with chronic progressive
multiple sclerosis by treatment with weak electromagnetic
fields.
Sandyk R.
NeuroCommunication Research Laboratories, Danbury, CT 06811, USA.
The occurrence of cognitive impairment
including visuoperceptive and
visuospatial deficits have long been recognized to occur in
patients with
multiple sclerosis (MS) particularly among patients with a
chronic progressive
course. In MS visuospatial and visuoperceptive deficits have
been attributed to
the presence of diffuse demyelinating plaques which "disconnect"
the brainstem
reticular formation and other subcortical structures involved in
attention and
arousal from cortical areas thus causing a state of hypoarousal.
It has been
reported recently that brief external applications of
alternating pulsed
electromagnetic fields (EMFs) in the picotesla (pT) range
intensity improved
visuoperceptive and visuospatial functions in MS patients. The
present
communication concerns three female patients with chronic
progressive course of
MS (mean age: 52.3 +/- 2.0 yrs; mean duration of illness: 17.6
+/- 10.2 yrs)
who, on tests of free drawings, demonstrated visuospatial
hemi-inattention as a
feature of more global cognitive deterioration. In all
patients brief
applications of EMFs rapidly reversed this cognitive deficit.
These findings
support prior observations demonstrating that pT EMFs may
bring about reversal
of certain cognitive deficits in MS patients which, to my
knowledge, remain
unaffected by any other treatment modality.
PMID: 7744559 [PubMed - indexed for
MEDLINE]
41: Panminerva Med. 1994 Dec;36(4):201-5.
Pineal-hypothalamic tract mediation of
picotesla magnetic fields in the
treatment of neurological disorders.
Jacobson JI.
Institute of Theoretical Physics and
Advanced Studies for Biophysical Research,
Jupiter, FL 334377-1418, USA.
The objective of this study is analysis of
the clinical efficacy of picotesla
magnetic fields in the treatment of epilepsy, Parkinson's
disease and multiple
sclerosis. The method utilized involved the exogenous
application of
physiologic, very weak magnetic fields to the brain by Sandyk,
Anninos, Derpapas
and Tsagas. The magnetic device produced a magnetic field
ranging from about 5 x
10(-8) gauss to about 2.5 x 10(-7) gauss at frequencies of 2 to
7 Hertz. The
wave form was sinusoidal and the device was positioned about the
posterior
portion of the corpus callosum most specifically to influence
the pineal gland.
Direct correlation of melatonin production with magnetic field
stimulation was
established. Amelioration or palliation of the neurological
conditions was
observed over an extended period of time in most cases. It
appeared that a
resonance situation was established between the magnetic field
and melatonin
which could be explained with Jacobson Resonance. These studies
begin to point
to the explanation of the mechanism of interaction between
non-ionizing
electromagnetic radiation and biological systems. Furthermore,
the evaluation of
the pineal gland as an magneto-sensitive gland may help us
understand
fundamental conditions in magneto-receptors of biological
systems in terms of
their piezoelectric nature.
Publication Types:
Review
Review, Tutorial
PMID: 7603740 [PubMed - indexed for
MEDLINE]
42: Int J Neurosci. 1994 Nov;79(1-2):75-90.
Improvement in word-fluency performance in
patients with multiple sclerosis by
electromagnetic fields.
Sandyk R.
NeuroCommunication Research Laboratories, Danbury, CT, USA.
Impairment of cognitive functions is well
recognized in patients diagnosed with
multiple sclerosis (MS), especially those with a chronic
progressive course. In
fact, MS has been considered a type of "subcortical dementia" in
which cognitive
and behavioral abnormalities resemble those observed in patients
with frontal
lobe syndrome. Patients with frontal lobe syndrome are known to
exhibit diverse
cognitive and behavioral abnormalities which include, among
others, diminished
spontaneity of speech with difficulties producing appropriate
words and phrases.
It has been reported recently that extracranial application of
extremely weak
electromagnetic fields (EMF) in the picotesla range produced
improvement in
motor and cognitive functions in patients with MS. The present
report concerns
three women with MS (mean age: 44.3 +/- 8.5 yrs; mean duration
of illness: 18.3
+/- 3.5 yrs), two with chronic progressive course and the third
with a
relapsing-remitting course in whom the Thurstone Word-Fluency
Test, a reputed
test of frontal lobe function, was administered prior to and
following a series
of 4 to 5 treatment sessions with EMF. Prior to the initiation
of treatment with
EMF all patients demonstrated word fluency performance which was
well below age
and sex-matched normal controls of similar level of education
(mean output of MS
patients was 42.6 +/- 1.1 words vs. 79.0 +/- 6.2 words of the
controls). A
series of treatments with EMF produced a 100% increase in word
output within a
short period of time (mean: 83.3 +/- 14.0 words). These
findings suggest that
this treatment modality improves frontal lobe functions in
patients with MS and
corroborate previous reports indicating beneficial effects of
EMF on cognitive
functions in these patients.
PMID: 7744553 [PubMed - indexed for
MEDLINE]
43: Int J Neurosci. 1994 Sep;78(1-2):53-66.
Improvement by picoTesla range magnetic
fields of perceptual-motor performance
and visual memory in a patient with chronic progressive multiple
sclerosis.
Sandyk R, Iacono RP.
NeuroCommunication Research Laboratories, Danbury, CT 06811.
The occurrence of cognitive deficits in
multiple sclerosis (MS) has been
recognized since 1877 when Charcot first observed "enfeeblement
of memory." It
is now recognized that visuoperceptive and visuomotor deficits
commonly occur in
MS patients particularly in those with a chronic progressive
course of the
disease. Using various drawing tests as markers of
constructional performance,
we reported recently that treatment with picoTesla range
magnetic fields (MF)
rapidly improved visuoperceptive and constructional abilities in
patients with
MS. We now report a 58 year old man with a 37 year history of
chronic
progressive MS in whom external application of MF in the
picoTesla range
produced rapid improvement of neurologic symptoms including
walking, balance,
sensory symptoms, and bladder functions. The patient's recovery
was associated
with a significant improvement in perceptual-motor functions as
demonstrated on
the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure and the Trail Making tests.
Specifically, the
patient demonstrated a 41% improvement over pretest values on
copying the
Complex figure and a 72% improvement in recall of the figure
immediately after
MF treatment. A further 4% improvement on copying the figure
and a 27%
improvement on recall was demonstrated 24 hours later. On the
Trail Making test
the patient demonstrated an overall improvement of 39% in Part
A of the test and
a 24% improvement in Part B of the test 24 hours after
application of MF. These
findings confirm the beneficial effects of picoTesla range MF in
the treatment
of MS and demonstrate the unique efficacy of this treatment
modality in
improving some of the cognitive deficits of the disease.
PMID: 7829292 [PubMed - indexed for
MEDLINE]
44: Int J Neurosci. 1994 Sep;78(1-2):103-9.
The effects of picoTesla range magnetic
fields on visuospatial functions in
multiple sclerosis.
Sandy R, Derpapas K.
Publication Types:
Letter
PMID: 7829284 [PubMed - indexed for
MEDLINE]
45: Rev Environ Health. 1994 Apr-Jun;10(2):127-34.
Pulsed magnetotherapy in Czechoslovakia--a review.
Jerabek J.
National Institute of Public Health, Praha, Czech Republic.
Pulsed magnetotherapy has been used in
Czechoslovakia for more than one decade.
It has been proved that this type of physical therapy is very
efficient mainly
in rheumatic diseases, in paediatrics (sinusitis, enuresis), and
in
balneological care of patients suffering from ischaemic
disorders of lower
extremities. Promising results have also been obtained in
neurological diseases
(multiple sclerosis, spastic conditions) and in ophthalmology,
in degenerative
diseases of the retina.
Publication Types:
Review
Review, Tutorial
PMID: 8047671 [PubMed - indexed for
MEDLINE]
46: Int J Neurosci. 1994 Jan-Feb;74(1-4):177-89.
Multiple sclerosis: improvement of
visuoperceptive functions by picoTesla range
magnetic fields.
Sandyk R, Iacono RP.
NeuroCommunication Research Laboratories, Danbury, CT 06811.
The occurrence of cognitive deficits in
multiple sclerosis (MS) has been
recognized since 1877 when Charcot first observed "enfeeblement
of memory" in
his patients. Recent studies employing standardized
neuropsychological tests
have confirmed the high incidence of cognitive deficits in MS
patients
particularly those with a chronic progressive course of the
disease.
Visuoperceptive and visuomotor deficits commonly occur in MS
patients and are
thought to reflect damage to attentional systems due to
interruption by
demyelinating plaques of nerve conduction along the ascending
projections from
the brainstem reticular formation to the cortex. Impairment of
synaptic
conductivity due to serotoninergic depletion (5-HT) may
contribute to the
emergence of cognitive deficits in MS. The present
communication concerns a 36
year old patient with MS in whom external application of
picoTesla range
magnetic fields (MF) resulted in rapid improvement of symptoms
including
visuoperceptive functions as demonstrated on various drawing
tasks. The report
confirms the efficacy of picoTesla range MF in the treatment of
MS and
demonstrates beneficial effects on cognitive functions as well.
PMID: 7928104 [PubMed - indexed for
MEDLINE]
47: Int J Neurosci. 1993 Jun;70(3-4):255-69.
Resolution of longstanding symptoms of
multiple sclerosis by application of
picoTesla range magnetic fields.
Sandyk R, Iacono RP.
NeuroCommunication Research Laboratories, Danbury, CT 06811.
Recent clinical reports have suggested that
treatment with extremely weak
magnetic fields (MF) in the picoTesla range is an efficacious
modality for the
symptomatic therapy in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS)
during the
remission and exacerbation periods of the disease. The present
communication
concerns a 64 year old woman with a 22 year history of MS of the
chronic-progressive type who presented with a longstanding
history of ataxia of
gait, weakness in the legs, difficulties with swallowing, loss
of bladder
control, blurred vision, diplopia, chronic fatigue, and
cognitive impairment. In
this patient two 30 minute treatments with MF on two separate
days resulted in a
dramatic improvement of symptoms. Specifically, the patient
experienced marked
improvement in balance and gait as well as increased strength
in the legs to the
extent that she was able to abandon the use of a walker within
48 hours after
initiation of magnetic treatment. In addition, there was
complete resolution of
diplopia, bladder dysfunction, and fatigue with improvement in
mood and
cognitive functions. The report attests to the unique efficacy
of extremely weak
MF in the symptomatic treatment of patients with MS including
those patients
with a chronic progressive course of the disease and supports
the hypothesis
that dysfunction of synaptic conductivity due to
neurotransmitter deficiency
specifically of serotonin rather than demyelination underlies
the neurologic
deficits of the disease.
PMID: 8063544 [PubMed - indexed for
MEDLINE]
48: Int J Neurosci. 1993 May;70(1-2):97-105.
Successful treatment of an acute
exacerbation of multiple sclerosis by external
magnetic fields.
Sandyk R, Derpapas.
NeuroCommunication Research Laboratories, Danbury, CT 06811.
A 55 year old woman with multiple sclerosis
presented with a 5 week history of
an exacerbation of symptoms. Prominent among these symptoms was
trigeminal
neuralgia, migraine headaches, blurring of vision, and ataxia of
gait. While
treatment with carbamazepine (TegretolR) (800 mg/d) and oral
prednisolone (15
mg/d) over a 4 week period produced no improvement in symptoms,
externally
applied magnetic fields (MF) (7.5 picoTesla; 5 Hz) placed over
the scalp for a 7
minute period on three different days resulted in a complete
resolution of
symptoms within two weeks of initiation of treatment. Partial
relief of the
neuralgic pain and headaches was obtained immediately after
completion of the
first treatment indicating that resolution of symptoms was
related to the
effects of MF and not to a spontaneous remission. This is
the first report
demonstrating the clinical efficacy of pico Tesla range MF in
rapidly resolving
an acute relapse of MS.
PMID: 8083029 [PubMed - indexed for
MEDLINE]
49: Int J Neurosci. 1993 Feb;68(3-4):241-53.
Magnetic fields normalize visual evoked
potentials and brainstem auditory evoked
potentials in multiple sclerosis.
Sandyk R, Derpapas K.
NeuroCommunication Research Laboratories, Danbury, CT 06811.
The present communication concerns a 46
year old woman with a 10 year history of
chronic progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) in whom external
application of
magnetic fields (MF) (7.5 picoTesla; 5 Hz) during a period
of remission resulted
in a rapid and dramatic improvement in symptoms including
vision, cerebellar
symptomatology (ataxia and dysarthria), mood, sleep, bowel and
bladder functions
as well as fatigue. Improvement in the patient's symptoms was
associated with
normalization of the pretreatment latencies of the visual
evoked potentials and
brainstem auditory evoked potential responses within a week
after initiation of
magnetic treatment. This report demonstrates that
treatment with picoTesla MF is
an effective, nonpharmacological modality in the management of
MS and for the
first time documents reversal of abnormal evoked potential
responses by this
treatment. The pineal gland is a magnetosensor. As MF affect the
release of the
pineal gland's principal hormone, melatonin, it is hypothesized
that the effects
of picoTesla MF in MS are partly mediated by the pineal gland
which has recently
been implicated in the pathogenesis of MS (Sandyk, 1992 a; b).
Publication Types:
Review
Review, Tutorial
PMID: 8063529 [PubMed - indexed for
MEDLINE]
50: Int J Neurosci. 1992 Oct;66(3-4):237-50.
Successful treatment of multiple sclerosis with magnetic fields.
Sandyk R.
NeuroCommunication Research Laboratories, Danbury, CT 06811.
The present communication concerns a 50
year-old woman with a 15 year history of
chronic-progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) in whom extracranial
application of
picoTesla magnetic fields (MF) produced a dramatic and sustained
improvement in
disability. In contrast, administration of melatonin (3 mg,
P.O.) produced in
this patient a rapid exacerbation of disability which was
reversed subsequently
by treatment with MF. It is hypothesized that the therapeutic
effects of
picoTesla MF involve the mediation of the pineal gland which is
known to act as
a magnetosensor. The report demonstrates, for the first
time, the remarkable
efficacy of weak MF in the symptomatic treatment of
chronic-progressive MS and
underscores the pivotal role of the pineal gland in the
pathophysiology of MS.
If confirmed by a larger cohort of patients, extracranial
application of
picoTesla MF may prove as an extremely efficacious,
nonpharmacological modality
for the treatment of MS.
Publication Types:
Review
Review, Tutorial
PMID: 1305621 [PubMed - indexed for
MEDLINE]