RT journal article
T1 Static Magnetic Field Stimulation over the Visual Cortex Increases Alpha Oscillations and Slows Visual Search in Humans
A1 González Rosa, Javier Jesús
A1 Soto Leon, Vanesa
A1 Real, P
A1 Carrasco-López, C
A1 Foffani, G
A1 Strange, BA
A1 Oliviero, Antonio
A2 Psicología
K1 EEG
K1 NIBS
K1 occipital cortex
K1 static magnetic field
K1 TMS
K1 visual search
AB ranscranial static magnetic field stimulation (tSMS) was recently introduced as a promising tool to modulate human cerebral excitability in a noninvasive and portable way. However, a demonstration that static magnetic fields can influence human brain activity and behavior is currently lacking, despite evidence that static magnetic fields interfere with neuronal function in animals. Here we show that transcranial application of a static magnetic field (120-200 mT at 2-3 cm from the magnet surface) over the human occiput produces a focal increase in the power of alpha oscillations in underlying cortex. Critically, this neurophysiological effect of tSMS is paralleled by slowed performance in a visual search task, selectively for the most difficult target detection trials. The typical relationship between prestimulus alpha power over posterior cortical areas and reaction time (RT) to targets during tSMS is altered such that tSMS-dependent increases in alpha power are associated with longer RTs for difficult, but not easy, target detection trials. Our results directly demonstrate that a powerful magnet placed on the scalp modulates normal brain activity and induces behavioral changes in humans.
PB ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV
SN 0270-6474
YR 2015
FD 2015-06-17
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10498/30689
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10498/30689
LA eng
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Cádiz
RD 12-nov-2026