A newly published study demonstrated that weak sequential electromagnetic pulses on mice can shift abnormal neural connections toward their correct locations in the brain.
Researchers from The University of Western Australia have shown that electromagnetic stimulation can alter brain organisation which may make your brain work better.
In results from a study published today in the prestigious Journal of Neuroscience, researchers from The University of Western Australia and the Université Pierre et Marie Curie in France demonstrated that weak sequential electromagnetic pulses (repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation – or rTMS) on mice can shift abnormal neural connections to more normal locations.
The discovery has important implications for the treatment of many nervous system disorders related to abnormal brain organization such as depression, epilepsy, and tinnitus.
To better understand what magnetic stimulation does to the brain Research Associate Professor Jennifer Rodger from UWA’s School of Animal Biology and her colleagues tested a low-intensity version of the therapy – known as low-intensity repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (LI-rTMS) – on mice born with abnormal brain organization.
Lead author, PhD candidate Kalina Makowiecki, said the research demonstrated that even at low intensities, pulsed magnetic stimulation could reduce abnormally located neural connections, shifting them toward their correct locations in the brain.
“This reorganization is associated with changes in a specific brain chemical, and occurred in several brain regions, across a whole network. Importantly, this structural reorganization was not seen in the healthy brain or the appropriate connections in the abnormal mice, suggesting that the therapy could have minimal side effects in humans.
“Our findings greatly increase our understanding of the specific cellular and molecular events that occur in the brain during this therapy and have implications for how best to use it in humans to treat disease and improve brain function,” Ms Makowiecki said.
Reference: “Low-Intensity Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Improves Abnormal Visual Cortical Circuit Topography and Upregulates BDNF in Mice” by Kalina Makowiecki, Alan R. Harvey, Rachel M. Sherrard and Jennifer Rodger, 6 August 2014, The Journal of Neuroscience.
DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0723-14.2014
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1 Comment
An excellent discovery indeed in neuroscience the benefit of magnetic simulation to correct the neural connections. This would be quite helpful in Tinnitus where brain neural connections get disturbed by loud sound and produces non-existent hissing sound in the brain. Epileptic treatment also can be supplemented to the drugs by this treatment to correct brain neural connections.Same is true for correction of depression. But, Alzheimerism and Parkinson’s disease being structural in nature cannot be cured by this method since it happens due to Ameloid-B plaques in the brain and non production of neuro transmitter called Dopamine, to start actions. Thank You.