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General Studies
Sensory & Motor Function
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
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.
Int J Neurosci. 1993 Jun;70(3-4):255-69.
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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.
Int J Neurosci. 1994 Dec;79(3-4):199-212.
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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.
Int J Neurosci. 1996 Feb;84(1-4):177-86.
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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.
Int J Neurosci. 1996 Nov;88(1-2):75-82.
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Double-blind study of pulsing magnetic field effects on multiple sclerosis.
Richards TL, Lappin MS, Acosta-Urquidi J, Kraft GH, Heide AC, Lawrie FW, Merrill TE, Melton GB, Cunningham CA.
Department of Radiology, University of Washington, Seattle, USA.
We performed a double-blind study to measure the clinical and
subclinical effects of an alternative medicine magnetic device on
disease activity in multiple sclerosis (MS). The MS patients were
exposed to a magnetic pulsing device (Enermed) where the frequency of
the magnetic pulse was in the 4-13 Hz range (50-100 milliGauss). A total
of 30 MS patients wore the device on preselected sites between 10 and
24 hours a day for 2 months. Half of the patients (15) randomly received
an Enermed device that was magnetically inactive and the other half
received an active device. Each MS patient received a set of tests to
evaluate MS disease status before and after wearing the Enermed device.
The tests included (1) a clinical rating (Kurtzke, EDSS), (2)
patient-reported performance scales, and (3) quantitative
electroencephalography (QEEG) during a language task. Although there was
no significant change between pretreatment and posttreatment in the
EDSS scale, there was a significant improvement in the performance scale
(PS) combined rating for bladder control, cognitive function, fatigue
level, mobility, spasticity, and vision (active group -3.83 +/- 1.08, p
< 0.005; placebo group -0.17 +/- 1.07, change in PS scale). There was
also a significant change between pretreatment and posttreatment in
alpha EEG magnitude during the language task recorded at various
electrode sites on the left side. In this double-blind,
placebo-controlled study, we have demonstrated a statistically
significant effect of the Enermed magnetic pulsing device on patient
performance scales and on alpha EEG magnitude during a language task.
J Altern Complement Med. 1997 Spring;3(1):21-9.
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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.
Phys Med Rehabil Clin N Am. 1998 Aug;9(3):659-74.
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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.
Int J Neurosci. 1999 Mar;97(1-2):131-8.
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Therapy of day time fatigue in patients with multiple sclerosis.
Zifko UA.
Sonderkrankenanstalt fur Neurologie, Klinik Pirawarth, Kurhausstrasse 100, A-2222 Bad Pirawarth. zifko@klinik-pirawarth.at
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.
Wien Med Wochenschr. 2003;153(3-4):65-72.
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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 blind, 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.
Altern Ther Health Med. 2003 Jul-Aug;9(4):38-48.
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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.
Int J Neurosci. 1994 Dec;79(3-4):169-84.
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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.
Int J Neurosci. 1994 Dec;79(3-4):169-84.
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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.
Int J Neurosci. 1995 Nov;83(1-2):81-92.
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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.
Int J Neurosci. 1995 Nov;83(1-2):69-79.
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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.
Int J Neurosci. 1995 Dec;83(3-4):187-98.
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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.
Int J Neurosci. 1996 Mar;85(1-2):93-9.
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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.
Int J Neurosci. 1996 Jul;86(1-2):67-77.
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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.
Int J Neurosci. 1996 Oct;87(1-2):5-15.
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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.
Int J Neurosci. 1997 Jan;89(1-2):39-51.
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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.
J Altern Complement Med. 1997 Fall;3(3):267-90.
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Measurement of central motor conduction in multiple sclerosis by magnetic brain stimulation.
Hess CW, Mills KR, Murray NM.
Central motor conduction time (CMCT) to abductor digiti minimi was
measured in 18 healthy subjects and in 15 patients with multiple
sclerosis. A novel percutaneous magnetic stimulator was used to
stimulate the motor cortex painlessly and CMCT was calculated by
subtracting the onset latency of muscle responses obtained by electrical
stimulation over the C7/T1 interspace from that obtained from
stimulation over the scalp. In healthy subjects CMCT was 6.0 +/- 0.76
ms. In multiple sclerosis patients with pyramidal signs in the arms,
CMCT was almost always prolonged, the longest conduction time being 39
ms. In 10 patients CMCT was prolonged despite normal strength in the
muscle.
Lancet. 1986 Aug 16;2(8503):355-8.
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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.
Int J Neurosci. 1994 Jan-Feb;74(1-4):177-89.
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Paroxysmal itching in multiple sclerosis during treatment with external magnetic fields.
Sandyk R.
NeuroCommunication Research Laboratories, Danbury, CT 06811.
Paroxysmal attacks of itching constitute a rare sensory symptom of
multiple sclerosis (MS). It is generally thought that paroxysmal
itching, a form of subthreshold pain sensation, is caused by
transversely spreading ephaptic activation (i.e., activation via an
artificial synapse) of axons within a partially demyelinated lesion in
fiber tracts in the CNS, most commonly in the spinal cord. In MS,
attacks of paroxysmal itching have been reported to occur either as the
initial symptom of the disease or at the onset of an acute relapse. I
present two female MS patients aged 36 and 40 years in whom paroxysmal
itching was a prominent sensory symptom which occurred at the onset of
treatment with external picoTesla range magnetic fields (MF) and
coincident with the process of neurologic recovery. This report suggests
that picoTesla range MF may cause activation of neuronal transmission
along partially demyelinated axons of pain conduction in the spinal
cord. The occurrence of rapid neurologic recovery with initiation of
treatment with MF supports the notion that impaired synaptic
conductivity rather than demyelination underlies some of the neurologic
deficits of MS.
Int J Neurosci. 1994 Mar;75(1-2):65-71.
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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.
Int J Neurosci. 1995 Apr;81(3-4):215-24.
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Weak electromagnetic fields restore dream recall in patients with multiple sclerosis.
Sandyk R.
NeuroCommunication Research Laboratories, Danbury, CT 06811, USA.
It is now well established that dreaming is a phenomenon associated
with REM sleep and that we dream far more than we can recall. Loss of
dream recall has been reported in association with cerebral lesions of
different sites with predilection to the posterior cerebral hemispheres.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic neurological disorder
characterised by the presence of diffuse pathological lesions affecting
cortical, subcortical, and brainstem areas which are implicated in the
generation and maintenance of REM sleep as well as dream recall.
Although MS is associated with a high incidence of sleep disturbances,
little is known about the frequency of dreaming and particularly dream
recall in these patients and their association with such features as the
course of the disease, extent of neurological deficits, rate of
progression, sites of demyelinating plaques on MRI scan, and recovery.
In my experience morning dream recall and probably dreaming activity
become infrequent with the onset and/or during periods of exacerbation
of the disease. The present communication concerns four selected MS
patients who experienced alterations in dream content and loss of
morning dream recall during the course of the disease. In all patients
dream recall was restored, along with improvement in neurological
symptoms, following the external application of a series of treatments
with weak electromagnetic fields (EMFs). These findings suggest that in
MS morning dream recall may decline and cease to occur during the course
of the disease. Recurrence of dream recall may be a marker of clinical
recovery which can be used to assess neurologic improvement in patients
undergoing treatment with experimental treatment modalities.
Int J Neurosci. 1995 May;82(1-2):113-25.
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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.
Int J Neurosci. 1995 Jun;82(3-4):285-302.
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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.
Int J Neurosci. 1996 Feb;84(1-4):157-64.
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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.
Int J Neurosci. 1996 Mar;85(1-2):79-91.
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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 5Hz frequency 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.
Int J Neurosci. 1997 Aug;90(3-4):145-57.
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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).
Int J Neurosci. 1993 Feb;68(3-4):241-53.
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Magnetic brain stimulation: central motor conduction studies in multiple sclerosis.
Hess CW, Mills KR, Murray NM, Schriefer TN.
Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, National Hospital, London, United Kingdom.
Central motor conduction (CMC) was evaluated in 32 normal subjects
and 83 patients with multiple sclerosis, and the findings were
correlated with clinical signs and evoked potential data. CMC time was
obtained from the latency difference in responses from the abductor
muscle of the little finger to magnetic stimulation of the motor cortex
and electrical stimulation at the C-7/T-1 interspace. Mean CMC time in
normal subjects was 6.2 msec (SD 0.86 msec), and amplitudes of responses
to cortical stimuli were at least 18% of those obtained with stimuli at
the wrist. CMC was abnormal in 60 patients with multiple sclerosis
(72%); this correlated well with brisk finger flexor jerks (p less than
0.005). CMC was abnormal in 79% of patients with weakness of the
abductor muscle of the little finger and in 54% with a normal muscle.
Neurological examination was normal in 7 arms with abnormal CMC. Visual
evoked potentials were abnormal in 67%, somatosensory evoked potentials
in 59%, and brainstem auditory evoked potentials in 39% of those tested.
For each procedure more subjects had abnormal CMC and normal evoked
potentials than the reverse. The technique is of value for demonstrating
and documenting central motor pathway lesions in multiple sclerosis,
especially when physical signs are equivocal.
Ann Neurol. 1987 Dec;22(6):744-52.
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Changes in multi-locally recorded muscle responses following cortex stimulation in patients with multiple sclerosis.
Meyer BU, Zipper S, Conrad B, Benecke R.
Abteilung fur klinische Neurophysiologie der Universitat Gottingen.
The application of transcranial brain stimulation widens the range of
neurophysiological tools available for the diagnostic evaluation of
impaired function in central conduction pathways. A standardized
examination of 25 patients with multiple sclerosis (diagnoses of
different certainties using the classification by Bauer) was performed
with electrical brain stimulation and EMG recordings from 3 muscles in
each of the upper and lower extremities (Fig. 2). The occurrence and the
change (amplitude, latency) of abnormal cortically evoked muscle
responses correlated with the distribution and the severity of the
clinical motor deficits respectively (Fig. 1 to 4 and Tab. 1).
Furthermore, in some cases, abnormal responses were found in clinically
unaffected limbs. Non-invasive stimulation of the motor cortex may
reveal lesions affecting the function of the fast conducting component
of the corticospinal tract even when there is no pathological clinical
finding. In patients suspected of having multiple sclerosis the use of
this technique may allow greater diagnostic certainty or even an early
diagnosis.
EEG EMG Z Elektroenzephalogr Elektromyogr Verwandte Geb. 1988 Dec;19(4):241-6.
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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.
Int J Neurosci. 1992 Oct;66(3-4):237-50.
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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.
Int J Neurosci. 1993 May;70(1-2):97-105.
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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.
Int J Neurosci. 1994 Sep;78(1-2):53-66.
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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.
Int J Neurosci. 1994 Nov;79(1-2):75-90.
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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.
Int J Neurosci. 1995 Jun;82(3-4):223-42.
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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.
Int J Neurosci. 1995 Nov;83(1-2):45-57.
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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.
Int J Neurosci. 1996 Mar;85(1-2):101-10.
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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.
Int J Neurosci. 1996 Jul;86(1-2):79-85.
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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.
Int J Neurosci. 1997 Jan;89(1-2):29-38.
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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.
Int J Neurosci. 1997 Jun;90(1-2):59-74.
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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.
Int J Neurosci. 1997 Aug;90(3-4):177-85.
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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.
Int J Neurosci. 1997 Nov;92(1-2):95-102.
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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.
J Altern Complement Med. 1997 Winter;3(4):365-86.
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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.
Int J Neurosci. 1998 Apr;93(3-4):239-50.
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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.
Int J Neurosci. 1998 Jul;95(1-2):133-40.
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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.
Int J Neurosci. 1998 Jul;95(1-2):107-13.
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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.
Int J Neurosci. 1999;98(1-2):83-94.
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