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Transient and steady‐state magnetic fields induce increased fluorodeoxyglucose uptake in the rat hindbrain
Author(s) -
Frilot Clifton,
Carrubba Simona,
Marino Andrew A.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
synapse
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.809
H-Index - 106
eISSN - 1098-2396
pISSN - 0887-4476
DOI - 10.1002/syn.20882
Subject(s) - hindbrain , voxel , nuclear magnetic resonance , sagittal plane , steady state (chemistry) , neuroscience , positron emission tomography , physics , magnetic resonance imaging , magnetic field , chemistry , medicine , biology , central nervous system , anatomy , radiology , quantum mechanics
Abstract We inquired into the biophysical basis of the ability of weak electromagnetic fields (EMFs) to trigger onset and offset evoked potentials, and to produce steady‐state changes in the electroencephalogram (EEG). Rats were exposed to a 2.5‐G, 60‐Hz magnetic field and the neuroanatomical region of glucose activation associated with the effect of the field on the EEG was identified by positron emission tomography (PET) using fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG). Paired emission scans from the same animal with and without field treatment were differenced and averaged, and t values of the brain voxels computed using the pooled standard deviation were compared with a calculated critical t value to identify the field‐activated voxels. Increased glucose utilization occurred in hindbrain voxels when the field was applied orthogonally to the sagittal plane, but not when the angle between the field and the sagittal plane varied randomly. Distinct FDG activation effects were observed in response to transient (both onset and offset) and steady‐state magnetic stimuli. Observations of increased glucose utilization induced by magnetic stimuli and its dependence on the direction of the field suggested that signal transduction was mediated by a force detector and that the process and/or early posttransduction processing occurred in the hindbrain. Synapse, 2011. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.