The effects of exposure of the human vestibular organ to a low frequency magnetic field or current on postural control should be investigated.
A total of 38 healthy participants were examined in this randomized crossover study. The following conditions were investigated: 1) exposure to a magnetic field, 2) alternating current stimulation, 3) direct current stimulation (positive control), 4) no stimulation (negative control). The stimulations in groups 1 and 2 were applied with different frequencies: a) 20 Hz, b) 60 Hz, c) 90 Hz, d) 120 Hz and e) 160 Hz.
Postural control is the ability of the human body to maintain an upright body position. In a previous study by Villard et al. (2018), no effects of exposure of the vestibular organ to a low frequency magnetic field on postural control were found. However, this field had a vertical orientation, so in the present study a horizontal orientation of the magnetic field was investigated.
| Exposure | Parameters |
|---|---|
|
Exposure 1:
20–160 Hz
Exposure duration:
5 seconds per condition per trial
|
|
|
Exposure 2:
20–160 Hz
Exposure duration:
5 seconds per condition per trial
|
|
| Frequency | 20–160 Hz |
|---|---|
| Type | |
| Exposure duration | 5 seconds per condition per trial |
| Exposure source |
|
|---|---|
| Setup | headset coil exposure system (6.70 kg) consisting of two 570 turn-coils of 5.9 cm of mean diameter, with a 2.5-cm diameter core of Permendur-49; the two coils were bound together to a custom adjustable headset to fit participants’ heads; although only the right vestibular organ was stimulated, both were kept together to prevent any postural bias due to asymmetrical load; the whole headset was suspended by a rod system, tied to a vest worn around participants’ chests to unload the weight of the coils as they were maintained on the participants’ head; subjects wore earplugs throughout the experiment to conceal the noise generated by the coils |
| Measurand | Value | Type | Method | Mass | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| magnetic flux density | 100 mT | effective value | - | - | at 3 cm from the coils where the vestibular organ approximately lies |
| magnetic flux density | 141.42 mT | peak value | - | - | at 3 cm from the coils where the vestibular organ approximately lies |
| Frequency | 20–160 Hz |
|---|---|
| Type | |
| Exposure duration | 5 seconds per condition per trial |
| Exposure source | |
|---|---|
| Setup | transcranial current stimulation device (StarStim, Neuroelectrics, Spain) with circular 25 cm2 Ag/AgCl electrodes; the magnetic field headset exposure system was set over the StarStim exposure cap; both the StarStim cap and the magnetic field exposure device were kept on the head during all testing conditions |
| Measurand | Value | Type | Method | Mass | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| cf. remarks | - | peak value | - | - | 2 mA |
No effects of exposure of the human vestibular organ to a low frequency magnetic field or current on postural control were found.
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