Patents on
Electromagnetic Manipulation of the Nervous System
Magnetic Excitation Of Sensory Resonances
United States Patent 5,935,054
Loos August 10, 1999
Abstract
The invention pertains to influencing the nervous system of a subject by a weak externally applied magnetic field with a frequency near 1/2 Hz. In a range of amplitudes, such fields can excite the 1/2 sensory resonance, which is the physiological effect involved in "rocking the baby". The wave form of the stimulating magnetic field is restricted by conditions on the spectral power density, imposed in order to avoid irritating the brain and the risk of kindling. The method and apparatus can be used by the general public as an aid to relaxation, sleep, or arousal, and clinically for the control of tremors, seizures, and emotional disorders.
Background Of The Invention
The human nervous system exhibits a sensitivity to certain low-frequency stimuli, as is evident from rocking a baby or relaxing in a rocking chair. In both cases, the maximum soothing effect is obtained for a periodic motion with a frequency near 1/2 Hz. The effect is here called "the 1/2 Hz sensory resonance". In the rocking response, the sensory resonance is excited principally by frequency-coded signals from the vestibular organ. However, the rocking motion also induces body strains, and these are detected by stretch receptors such as Ruffini corpuscules in the skin and muscle spindles throughout the body. In addition, signals may come from cutaneous cold and warmth receptors which report skin temperature variations caused by relative air currents induced by the rocking motion. All these receptors employ frequency coding in their sensory function, and it is believed that their signals are combined and compared with the vestibular nerve signals in an assessment of the somatic state. One may thus expect that the resonance can be excited separately not only through the vestibular nerve, but also through the other sensory modalities mentioned. This notion is supported by the observation that gently stroking of a child with a frequency near 1/2 Hz has a soothing effect as well. Appropriate separate stimulation of the other frequency-coding sensory receptors mentioned is expected to have a similar effect.
The notion has occurred that frequency-coding sensory receptors may perhaps respond to certain artificial stimulations, and that such stimulations could be used to cause excitation of the 1/2 Hz sensory resonance. This indeed can been done, by using externally applied weak electric fields as the artificial stimulus, as discussed in the U.S. patent application Ser. 08/447,394 ›1!. Autonomic effects of this stimulation have been observed in the form of relaxation, drowsiness, sexual excitement, or tonic smile, depending on the precise electric field frequency near 1/2 Hz used. The question whether the effects are perhaps due to the direct action of the electric field on the brain has been settled by experiments in which localized weak electric fields are applied to areas of the skin away from the head; these experiments showed the same array of autonomic effects. It follows that the electric field acts on certain somatosensory nerves.
A major application of the electric exitation of the resonance is seen in the form of a sleeping aid. The method can further be used by the general public as an aid to relaxation and arousal, and clinically for the control of tremmors and seizures as well as disorders resulting from malfunctions of the autonomic nervous system, such as panic attacks.
Electric fields are subject to polarization effects that bar certain applications. These limitations would be circumvented if the excitation could be done by magnetic rather than electric fields. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for excitation of the 1/2 Hz sensory resonance by oscillatory magnetic fields.
An electromagnetic field apparatus for environmental control is discussed by Grauvogel in U.S. Pat. No. 3,678,337. The apparatus is to re-create indoors the electric and magnetic fields that occur naturally out-of-doors, in the interest of physical and mental well-being. In advancing this notion, Grauvogel overlooks the fact that the earth's magnetic field is not shielded by buildings; therefore, the magnetic part of his apparatus is superfluous in the context of his objective. In Grauvogel's claims, the field of use is stated as "environmental control apparatus".
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,197,851 Fellus shows an apparatus for emitting high-frequency electromagnetic waves with a low intensity such as to avoid significant thermal effects in exposed tissue, employing an "antenna" which is applied closely to the skin via insulation material, in such a manner as to conform to body contours. Bentall, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,611,599 shows an electrical apparatus for influencing a metabolic growth characteristic, wherein a radio frequency electromagnetic field is applied to a subject at a low power level such as not to produce bulk heating of the exposed tissue. The high-frequencies used by Fellus and by Bentall are not suitable for exciting the 1/2 Hz sensory resonance.
A device for influencing subjects by means of pulsed electromagnetic fields has been discussed by Lindemann ›2!. His "Centron" device comprises a square wave generator connected to an equiangular spiral coil with two branches. The pulse rate can be chosen from 12 discrete frequencies ranging from 1 to 18 Hz. Comments on the workings of the spiral coil are given by Lindeman ›3! in the context of "scalar fields", a notion that happens to be in conflict with modern physics. According to Lindeman ›3!, the spiral coil of the Centron involves "a high degree of interaction between the inductance and capacitance, creating what is called a scalar". In spite of the erroneous physical basis presented, the Centron device may indeed affect the nervous system. However, several shortcomings are apparent in the design. First, the spiral coil is woefully inefficient and is therefore wasteful of electric current, a precious commodity in battery-operated devices. It may perhaps be thought that the spiral coil design provides localization of the magnetic field by clever cancellations, but that is not the case; a calculation of the steady asymptotic magnetic field induced by the coil shows that the far field is dominated by a dipole. Second, the frequency range of the device misses the 1/2 Hz sensory resonance alltogether, and the use of preset discrete frequencies hampers exploration of other resonances. Last but not least, the fundamental frequencies and some of the higher harmonics in the square wave produce nuisance signals in the brain, and pose a risk of kindling ›4! in subjects with a disposition to epilepsy.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an efficient battery-powered device for inducing magnetic fields for the excitation of the 1/2 Hz sensory resonance without causing irritation to the brain or posing a threat of kindling.
Other devices that emit "scalar" fields for unspecified therapeutic purposes are the Teslar watch and the MicroHarmonizer, distributed by Tools For Exploration in San Rafael, Calif. The Teslar watch emits a pulsed magnetic field at a fixed frequency of 7.83 Hertz, and the MicroHarmonizer can be switched to either 7.83 Hz or 3.91 Hz. Neither device can be tuned to the 1/2 Hz sensory resonance.
There is much public concern about the health effects of low-frequency electromagnetic fields. In response, governments have issued guide lines for manufacturers of electronic equipment. Among these, the Swedish MPRII guide lines are the strictest in the world. For human exposure to low-frequency magnetic fields, MPRII calls for an upper limit of 250 nT in the frequency band from 5 Hz to 2 KHz, and 25 nT in the band from 2 KHz to 400 KHz. In the topical application of localized magnetic fields by coils placed close to the skin, compliance with the MPRII guidelines may require use of a distributed coil, in order to keep the spatial maximum of the field from exceeding the MPRII limit. It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide distributed coils that induce localized magnetic fields.
The brain adapts to nuisance signals by plasticly changing neural circuitry, such as to block these signals from further processing. This effect has been noticed in electric field therapy of insomnia, where the effectiveness of a fixed frequency field wears off after several nights of application. It is an object of the present invention to provide a magnetic field with characteristics such as to minimize this adaptive effect.
SUMMARY
The vestibular nerves and several other types of somatic sensory nerves detect bodily motion, and code the information as frequency modulation (FM) of stochastic firing rates. These sensory signals can excite a resonance in the central nervous system, as is seen from the soothing effect of rocking a baby with a frequency near 1/2 Hz. The present invention provides a method and means for exciting this sensory resonance by application of an oscillatory external magnetic field with a dominant frequency near 1/2 Hz. It appears that such magnetic fields cause a weak frequency modulation of the firing rates of certain sensory receptors, most likely the vestibular end organ and muscle spindles. The resulting weak FM signals in the afferents from these receptors affect the central nervous system in much the same manner as a subliminal rocking motion.
For a sustained noticible effect the magnetic field intensity must be chosen such as to cause weak FM signals that have signal-to-noise ratios such that the signals go unchecked by nuisance-blocking circuitry, while still being strong enough to influence the autonomic nervous system through a resonance in certain critical neural circuitry. From experiments, this requirement on the signal-to-noise ratio appears to be met by magnetic field amplitudes in the range from 5 femtotesla to 50 nanotesla. Several different results can be obtained, such as relaxation, sleep, and sexual excitement, and control of tremors, seizures, and panic attacks, depending on the field application site and the frequency used.
The magnetic field may be produced by a coil connected to a voltage generator. It is important to curtail higher harmonics of the magnetic field wave form such as not to irritate the brain or pose a threat of kindling. To this end, the output wave form of the voltage generator must be subjected to a restriction, here phrased in terms of the spectral power density function.
For topical magnetic field application one needs coils which induce magnetic fields that fall off rapidly with distance. A design procedure for such multipole coils is discussed. A method is also provided for the design of multipole coils for which the windings are distributed in order to assure compliance with MPRII, when the coil is deployed close to the skin.
A magnetic field of desirable characteristics for inducing relaxation or sleep can also be generated by a mechanical apparatus that is driven by naturally occuring air motions or drafts. An embodiment comprises a permanent magnet that is mounted in the hollow of a sperically domed shell to which is fastened a silk flower on a stem of appropriate length, such as to give a natural rocking frequency near 1/2 Hz. Small air drafts cause the assembly to rock slightly, thereby tilting the magnet in an oscillatory motion. As a result, the magnetic field induced by the magnet has a flucuating component, which excites in nearby subjects the 1/2 Hz sensory resonance, if the device is properly tuned. The tuning is done by slightly doming, by an adjustable amount, the surface that supports the domed shell of the rocking assembly.
The invention lends itself to an embodiment as a nonlethal weapon which remotely induces wooziness in foes. The embodiment comprises a permanent magnet that is rotated by electric motor action by means of coils energized by a battery-powered pulse circuit tuned to a frequency appropriate to the 1/2 Hz sensory resonance. The activity and frequency schedule can be controlled by a programmable processor.
In social settings it is desirable to have the voltage generator and the coil contained in a single case, such as an eye shadow box. A compact magnetic field generator of this type can be carried in a purse or trousers pocket.
Remote Magnetic Manipulation Of Nervous Systems
United States Patent 6,238,333
Loos May 29, 2001
Abstract
Apparatus and method for remote manipulation of nervous systems by the magnetic dipole field of a rotating bar magnet. Reliance on modulation of spontaneous spiking patterns of sensory nerve receptors, and exploitation of a resonance mechanism of certain neural circuits, allows the use of very weak magnetic fields. This, together with the large magnetic moments that can be obtained with a permanent bar magnet, makes it possible to effectively manipulate the nervous system of a subject over a distance of several hundred meters, using a small portable battery-powered device. The method can be used in law enforcement for standoff situations.
Background Of The Invention
The invention relates to stimulation of nerves by pulsed magnetic fields. Such fields induce in the body of an exposed subject eddy currents that are proportional to their rate of change. The currents may cause classical nerve stimulation wherein the nerve membrane is depolarized enough for the nerve to fire. At low frequencies, such a mechanism requires rather large magnetic fields. Fortunately, low-frequency magnetic manipulation of the nervous system is possible by another mechanism which allows the use of very much weaker fields. Instead of relying on causing the firing of normally quiescent nerves, the method uses modulation of the spiking patterns of spontaneously firing nerves. That this can be done with very small tissue electic fields was discussed more than four decades ago by C. A. Terzuolo and T. H. Bullock in "Measurement of Imposed Voltage Gradient Adequate to Modulate Neuronal Firing", Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences U.S.A., Physiology, 42, 687 (1956). The effect can be exploited in magnetic as well as in electric stimulation, because the physiological effects of the former are solely due to the electric field that is induced by the rate of change of the magnetic field, and by the electric polarization that occurs as the consequence of the induced eddy currents.
The human nervous system exhibits a sensitivity to certain low-frequency stimuli, as is evident from rocking a baby or relaxing in a rocking chair. In both cases, the maximum soothing effect is obtained for a periodic motion with a frequency near 1/2 Hz. The effect is here called "the 1/2 Hz sensory resonance". In the rocking response, the sensory resonance is excited principally by frequency-coded signals from the vestibular end organ. However, the rocking motion also induces body strains, and these are detected by stretch receptors residing in the skin and elsewhere in the body. In addition, relevant signals may originate from thermal receptors which report skin temperature fluctuations caused by air currents that are induced by the rocking motion. All these receptors employ frequency coding in their sensory function, and it must be that their signals are combined and compared in the brain with the vestibular nerve signals in an assessment of the somatic state. One may thus expect that the sensory resonance can be excited not only through the vestibular nerve, but also separately through the other sensory modalities mentioned. This notion is supported by the observation that gently stroking of a child with a frequency near 1/2 Hz has a soothing effect. Further support derives from the successful excitation of the 1/2 Hz sensory resonance by weak external electric fields, as discussed in "Method and Apparatus for Manipulating Nervous Systems", U.S. Pat. No. 5,782,874. The 1/2 Hz sensory resonance involves the autonomic nervous system, and it can be used to induce relaxation, sleepiness, or sexual excitement, depending on the precise stimulation frequency and the affected afferent nerves. Another sensory resonance has been found at about 2.4 Hz; it involves the cortex since it can slow the speed of silently counting from 100 to 60, with the eyes closed, as discussed in the '874 patent and in U.S. Pat. No. 5,800,481. For both electric field and thermal stimulation, prolonged exposure to fluctuating electric fields near 2.4 Hz has been found to have a sleep-inducing and dizzying effect. The same physiological effect is expected for pulsative magnetic stimulation, since electric fields are induced in the tissue by the changing magnetic field. When using the nerve modulation method, reliance on resonance mechanisms further reduces the stimulation strength required for manipulating the nervous system.
Summary
Oscillatory magnetic fields induce electric fields in exposed biological tissue and can therefore act on nerves. Considerable tissue electric fields are needed to cause firing of otherwise quiescent nerves, but very much smaller fields suffice for modulation of spontaneous nerve spiking. Still weaker fields can be used for exciting resonances in certain neural circuits through evoked signals from afferent somatosensory nerves which carry the modulated spiking patterns to the brain.
It has been found that, in this manner, weak oscillatory magnetic fields with an amplitude between 5 femtotesla and 50 nanotesla can be used for manipulating the human nervous system, when the fields are tuned to certain frequencies near 1/2 Hz that cause excitation of sensory resonances. Observable physiological consequences of the resonance include ptosis of the eyelids, relaxation, sleepiness, and sexual excitement, depending on the precise frequency used, and on the location and duration of the magnetic field application.
Both topical and systemic field administration have been found effective. For the latter case the field can be produced over a considerable distance by a rotating permanent magnet that has a large magnetic moment. This makes it possible to manipulate a subject's nervous system over a range of several hundred meters, such as to cause relaxation and drowsiness. The method can be used in law enforcement for standoff situations.
Simple devices which use a rotating bar magnet are disclosed. Multiple rotating bar magnets can be used, and the phase angles of the magnets may then be arranged to cause constructive interference of the magnetic fields induced in the subject
Detailed Description
It has been found in our laboratory that a weak oscillatory magnetic field can be used to excite the 1/2 Hz sensory resonance. Sinusoidal magnetic fields have been observed to induce ptosis of the eyelids, relaxation, sleepiness, a "knot" in the stomach, a soft warm feeling in the stomach, a tonic smile, sudden loose stool, and sexual excitement, depending on the precise frequency used, the part of the body exposed, and the strength and duration of the field application. The frequencies for these effects are all close to 1/2 Hz. The physiological effects are experienced after the subject has been exposed to the field for an extended time, ranging from minutes to hours. Even for optimum frequency, the effects have been observed only for weak fields with amplitudes roughly in the range from 5 femtotesla to 50 nanotesla.
Use of square waves for the time dependence of the magnetic field gives similar results, but there is a peculiar harsh feeling that is absent for sine waves, attributed to the strong higher harmonics in the square wave.
The effects have been obtained with systemic field applications as well as with topical applications of a localized magnetic field, either administered to the head or to body regions away from the head; successful excitation in the latter case shows that the magnetic field can act on somatosensory nerves.
Fixing all experiment parameters but the magnetic field amplitude, the described physiological effects are observed only for field amplitudes in an interval, called "the effective intensity window". This feature of sensory resonances may be understood as due to nuisance-guarding neural circuitry which blocks impertinent repetitive sensory signals from higher processing. For the guarding circuitry to spring in action, the amplitude of the nuisance signals needs to exceed a certain threshold. This explains the upper boundary of the effective intensity window. The lower boundary of the window is simply due to the detection threshold for the sensory signals.
Systemic application of an approximately uniform rotating magnetic field at a frequency of 0.55 Hz and an amplitude of 2.3 nanotesla results in wooziness after about two hours of exposure; sexual excitement sets in about one hour later. The rotating magnetic field for this experiment was obtained by using a 33 rpm phonograph turntable which carries two permanent magnets with a total magnetic moment of 6.5 Am.sup.2 ; the distance to the subject was 10.4 m. Allthough the use of the 33 rpm turntable is convenient, the frequency is not quite optimum for excitation of the 1/2 Hz sensory resonance. This explains the long exposure times needed to obtain a physiological response, accounting for the drift in resonance frequencies described in the '874 patent. Other experiments with systemic application of magnetic fields, albeit with slightly greater nonuniformity, have given results that are similar to those obtained with topical applications of sharply localized fields. The rotating magnet device shown in FIGS. 3-5 is discussed later in the context of law enforcement in standoff situations, but it may be employed for therapeutic purposes as well. The device can be used for collective treatment of a number of subjects in a single building or in a complex of buildings.
The physiological effects induced by the magnetic field over an extended time often linger for as much as an hour after ending the application. This suggests that the endocrine system is affected, either directly or indirectly.
Experiments with magnetic field therapy for mild insomnia have been conducted for over 200 nights, using a variety of voltage generators and coils. Among the various wave forms, sine waves have given the best results when used with very weak fields, of the order of 10 femtotesla, applied to the lower lumbar region of the body. A typical frequency used in these experiments is 0.49 Hz. A virtue of the very weak fields is that habituation to the stimulus is at a minimum, so that the treatment remains effective over many nights. Habituation is further minimized by using multipole magnetic fields. Such fields are sharply localized, and they have strongly nonuniform spatial distributions. As a result, the evoked somatic signals received by the brain from the various parts of the body are strongly nonuniform and localized. Therefore, changes in sleep position cause a large variety of sensory patterns of limited duration. Another successful approach for controlling habituation is to limit the magnetic field application to half an hour or so; larger field strengths can then be used.
Experiments for inducing sexual excitement by sinusoidal magnetic fields have been performed using topical as well as systemic field application. Topical application of a sinusoidal multipole magnetic field of order six to the lower lumbar region, with maximum field amplitude of about one nanotesla, usually causes after about 13 minutes of exposure an erection that can be maintained as long as an hour. Effective frequencies depend somewhat on physiological conditions, but a typical frequency for obtaining this effect is 0.62 Hz.
The experiments suggest a method and apparatus for manipulating nervous systems by fluctuating magnetic fields. The method has two fundamental features: use of modulation of spontaneous spiking activity of certain types of somatosensory receptors, and the exploitation of sensory resonances. Both these features allow reduction of the magnetic field amplitude, and in combination they make possible small and compact battery-powered devices that can be used by the public for induction of relaxation, sleepiness, or arousal, and clinically for the control and perhaps the treatment of tremors and seizures, and disorders of the autonomic nervous system, such as panic attacks.
A sensory resonance has been found near 2.4 Hz, that can be excited by weak pulsed external electric fields, or by weak heat pulses delivered to the skin, or by subliminal acoustic pulses, as discussed respectively in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,782,874 and 5,800,481, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/961,907. It is expected that this resonance can also be excited magnetically. Other sensory resonances may perhaps be found, with frequencies below 45 Hz.
For topical magnetic field applications, it is important to have a sharply localized magnetic field, either to avoid unwanted exposure of body regions away from the region of application, or to decrease habituation, as discussed above. A planar coil assembly suitable for the induction of such sharply localized magnetic field is shown in FIG. 7. The assembly consists of four coils, referred to as 7, 8, 9, and 10, with alternating winding directions. The series assembly of coils is connected to the coaxial feed cable 2. The coils 7-10 are mounted on an adhesive sheet 11 of insulating material, and the assembly is covered with adhesive tape. The coil diameters are proportional to 1, 2, 3, and 2, and the number of windings are respectively proportional to 4, -6, 4, and 1, where positive and negative numbers denote respectively clockwise and counterclockwise windings. For clarity the connecting wires between coils are shown as running at some distance from each other, but these wires should actually be laid very close together, in order that their induced magnetic fields cancel each other as much as possible. With this understanding, the coil assembly of FIG. 7 can be shown to induce at large distances a magnetic field that falls off as the ninth power of distance.
Eddy currents are induced in tissue by time-varying magnetic fields. Time dependence can of course be achieved by rotating an otherwise steady magnetic field. Since large steady fields can be obtained from a permanent magnet without spending energy, it is sensible to produce the rotating field by mechanically rotating a permanent magnet. There are several patents, such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,727,857 and 5,667,469, wherein such an approach is used for topically inducing therapeutic low-frequency eddy currents by means of equipment placed closely adjacent to the patient's skin.
As aluded to earlier, rotating magnetic fields can also be used for remote systemic magnetic manipulation of the nervous system of a subject, "remote" meaning at a distance exceeding three meters. The dominant field far away from a magnet is a dipole field, which falls off as the third power of distance. The very small field strengths that suffice for magnetic excitation of sensory resonances, together with the large magnetic moments that can be achieved with permanent magnets, make remote magnetic manipulation of nervous systems with small and compact devices a practical possiblity. For instance, for a device of 20 cm overall diameter the magnetic moment of a fitting bar magnet can easily be as large as 52 Am.sup.2, and such a magnet is capable of inducing a 0.39 pT magnetic field at a distance of 300 m. By tuning the magnet rotation to a sensory resonance frequency near 1/2 Hz, such a field amplitude is sufficient to cause drowsiness. The arrangement is thus suitable for a non-lethal weapon which may be used, for instance, in law enforcement standoff situations. Such an application is illustrated in FIG. 1, where subjects are holding out in a house 52. Shown are squad cars 53, one of which is equiped with a rotating magnet device. The magnetic dipole field emanating from the device is illustrated schematically by field lines 54. The rotation of the permanent magnet causes the magnetic field to rotate, and FIG. 2 shows field lines 54' a short time later, after the magnet has made a quarter turn. When the magnet rotation is tuned to the appropriate sensory resonance frequency, the oscillatory eddy currents induced in the subject's bodies may cause sleepiness, which would diminish the subject's alertness and clarity of thought. It is noted that the physiological effects of the magnetic excitation of sensory resonances appears to be larger when 60 or 50 Hz power fields are absent, so that there may be merit in turning off the electric power to the house, if this can be done safely and is not contraindicated by other considerations.
Nervous System Manipulation By Electromagnetic Fields From Monitors
United States Patent 6,506,148
Loos January 14, 2003
Abstract
Physiological effects have been observed in a human subject in response to stimulation of the skin with weak electromagnetic fields that are pulsed with certain frequencies near 1/2 Hz or 2.4 Hz, such as to excite a sensory resonance. Many computer monitors and TV tubes, when displaying pulsed images, emit pulsed electromagnetic fields of sufficient amplitudes to cause such excitation. It is therefore possible to manipulate the nervous system of a subject by pulsing images displayed on a nearby computer monitor or TV set. For the latter, the image pulsing may be imbedded in the program material, or it may be overlaid by modulating a video stream, either as an RF signal or as a video signal. The image displayed on a computer monitor may be pulsed effectively by a simple computer program. For certain monitors, pulsed electromagnetic fields capable of exciting sensory resonances in nearby subjects may be generated even as the displayed images are pulsed with subliminal intensity.
Background Of The Invention
The invention relates to the stimulation of the human nervous system by an electromagnetic field applied externally to the body. A neurological effect of external electric fields has been mentioned by Wiener (1958), in a discussion of the bunching of brain waves through nonlinear interactions. The electric field was arranged to provide "a direct electrical driving of the brain". Wiener describes the field as set up by a 10 Hz alternating voltage of 400 V applied in a room between ceiling and ground. Brennan (1992) describes in U.S. Pat. No. 5,169,380 an apparatus for alleviating disruptions in circadian rythms of a mammal, in which an alternating electric field is applied across the head of the subject by two electrodes placed a short distance from the skin.
A device involving a field electrode as well as a contact electrode is the "Graham Potentializer" mentioned by Hutchison (1991). This relaxation device uses motion, light and sound as well as an alternating electric field applied mainly to the head. The contact electrode is a metal bar in Ohmic contact with the bare feet of the subject, and the field electrode is a hemispherical metal headpiece placed several inches from the subject's head.
In these three electric stimulation methods the external electric field is applied predominantly to the head, so that electric currents are induced in the brain in the physical manner governed by electrodynamics. Such currents can be largely avoided by applying the field not to the head, but rather to skin areas away from the head. Certain cutaneous receptors may then be stimulated and they would provide a signal input into the brain along the natural pathways of afferent nerves. It has been found that, indeed, physiological effects can be induced in this manner by very weak electric fields, if they are pulsed with a frequency near 1/2 Hz. The observed effects include ptosis of the eyelids, relaxation, drowziness, the feeling of pressure at a centered spot on the lower edge of the brow, seeing moving patterns of dark purple and greenish yellow with the eyes closed, a tonic smile, a tense feeling in the stomach, sudden loose stool, and sexual excitement, depending on the precise frequency used, and the skin area to which the field is applied. The sharp frequency dependence suggests involvement of a resonance mechanism.
It has been found that the resonance can be excited not only by externally applied pulsed electric fields, as discussed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,782,874, 5,899,922, 6,081,744, and 6,167,304, but also by pulsed magnetic fields, as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,935,054 and 6,238,333, by weak heat pulses applied to the skin, as discussed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,800,481 and 6,091,994, and by subliminal acoustic pulses, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,017,302. Since the resonance is excited through sensory pathways, it is called a sensory resonance. In addition to the resonance near 1/2 Hz, a sensory resonance has been found near 2.4 Hz. The latter is characterized by the slowing of certain cortical processes, as discussed in the '481, '922, '302, '744, '944, and '304 patents.
The excitation of sensory resonances through weak heat pulses applied to the skin provides a clue about what is going on neurologically. Cutaneous temperature-sensing receptors are known to fire spontaneously. These nerves spike somewhat randomly around an average rate that depends on skin temperature. Weak heat pulses delivered to the skin in periodic fashion will therefore cause a slight frequency modulation (fm) in the spike patterns generated by the nerves. Since stimulation through other sensory modalities results in similar physiological effects, it is believed that frequency modulation of spontaneous afferent neural spiking patterns occurs there as well.
It is instructive to apply this notion to the stimulation by weak electric field pulses administered to the skin. The externally generated fields induce electric current pulses in the underlying tissue, but the current density is much too small for firing an otherwise quiescent nerve. However, in experiments with adapting stretch receptors of the crayfish, Terzuolo and Bullock (1956) have observed that very small electric fields can suffice for modulating the firing of already active nerves. Such a modulation may occur in the electric field stimulation under discussion.
Further understanding may be gained by considering the electric charges that accumulate on the skin as a result of the induced tissue currents. Ignoring thermodynamics, one would expect the accumulated polarization charges to be confined strictly to the outer surface of the skin. But charge density is caused by a slight excess in positive or negative ions, and thermal motion distributes the ions through a thin layer. This implies that the externally applied electric field actually penetrates a short distance into the tissue, instead of stopping abruptly at the outer skin surface. In this manner a considerable fraction of the applied field may be brought to bear on some cutaneous nerve endings, so that a slight modulation of the type noted by Terzuolo and Bullock may indeed occur.
The mentioned physiological effects are observed only when the strength of the electric field on the skin lies in a certain range, called the effective intensity window. There also is a bulk effect, in that weaker fields suffice when the field is applied to a larger skin area. These effects are discussed in detail in the '922 patent.
Since the spontaneous spiking of the nerves is rather random and the frequency modulation induced by the pulsed field is very shallow, the signal to noise ratio (S/N) for the fm signal contained in the spike trains along the afferent nerves is so small as to make recovery of the fm signal from a single nerve fiber impossibile. But application of the field over a large skin area causes simultaneous stimulation of many cutaneous nerves, and the fm modulation is then coherent from nerve to nerve. Therefore, if the afferent signals are somehow summed in the brain, the fm modulations add while the spikes from different nerves mix and interlace. In this manner the S/N can be increased by appropriate neural processing. The matter is discussed in detail in the '874 patent. Another increase in sensitivity is due to involving a resonance mechanism, wherein considerable neural circuit oscillations can result from weak excitations.
An easily detectable physiological effect of an excited 1/2 Hz sensory resonance is ptosis of the eyelids. As discussed in the '922 patent, the ptosis test involves first closing the eyes about half way. Holding this eyelid position, the eyes are rolled upward, while giving up voluntary control of the eyelids. The eyelid position is then determined by the state of the autonomic nervous system. Furthermore, the pressure excerted on the eyeballs by the partially closed eyelids increases parasympathetic activity. The eyelid position thereby becomes somewhat labile, as manifested by a slight flutter. The labile state is sensitive to very small shifts in autonomic state. The ptosis influences the extent to which the pupil is hooded by the eyelid, and thus how much light is admitted to the eye. Hence, the depth of the ptosis is seen by the subject, and can be graded on a scale from 0 to 10.
In the initial stages of the excitation of the 1/2 Hz sensory resonance, a downward drift is detected in the ptosis frequency, defined as the stimulation frequency for which maximum ptosis is obtained. This drift is believed to be caused by changes in the chemical milieu of the resonating neural circuits. It is thought that the resonance causes perturbations of chemical concentrations somewhere in the brain, and that these perturbations spread by diffusion to nearby resonating circuits. This effect, called "chemical detuning", can be so strong that ptosis is lost altogether when the stimulation frequency is kept constant in the initial stages of the excitation. Since the stimulation then falls somewhat out of tune, the resonance decreases in amplitude and chemical detuning eventually diminishes. This causes the ptosis frequency to shift back up, so that the stimulation is more in tune and the ptosis can develop again. As a result, for fixed stimulation frequencies in a certain range, the ptosis slowly cycles with a frequency of several minutes. The matter is discussed in the '302 patent.
The stimulation frequencies at which specific physiological effects occur depend somewhat on the autonomic nervous system state, and probably on the endocrine state as well.
Weak magnetic fields that are pulsed with a sensory resonance frequency can induce the same physiological effects as pulsed electric fields. Unlike the latter however, the magnetic fields penetrate biological tissue with nearly undiminished strength. Eddy currents in the tissue drive electric charges to the skin, where the charge distributions are subject to thermal smearing in much the same way as in electric field stimulation, so that the same physiological effects develop. Details are discussed in the '054 patent.
Summary
Computer monotors and TV monitors can be made to emit weak low-frequency electromagnetic fields merely by pulsing the intensity of displayed images. Experiments have shown that the 1/2 Hz sensory resonance can be excited in this manner in a subject near the monitor. The 2.4 Hz sensory resonance can also be excited in this fashion. Hence, a TV monitor or computer monitor can be used to manipulate the nervous system of nearby people. The implementations of the invention are adapted to the source of video stream that drives the monitor, be it a computer program, a TV broadcast, a video tape or a digital video disc (DVD).
For a computer monitor, the image pulses can be produced by a suitable computer program. The pulse frequency may be controlled through keyboard input, so that the subject can tune to an individual sensory resonance frequency. The pulse amplitude can be controlled as well in this manner. A program written in Visual Basic(R) is particularly suitable for use on computers that run the Windows 95(R) or Windows 98(R) operating system. The structure of such a program is described. Production of periodic pulses requires an accurate timing procedure. Such a procedure is constructed from the GetTimeCount function available in the Application Program Interface (API) of the Windows operating system, together with an extrapolation procedure that improves the timing accuracy.
Pulse variability can be introduced through software, for the purpose of thwarting habituation of the nervous system to the field stimulation, or when the precise resonance frequency is not known. The variability may be a pseudo-random variation within a narrow interval, or it can take the form of a frequency or amplitude sweep in time. The pulse variability may be under control of the subject.
The program that causes a monitor to display a pulsing image may be run on a remote computer that is connected to the user computer by a link; the latter may partly belong to a network, which may be the Internet.
For a TV monitor, the image pulsing may be inherent in the video stream as it flows from the video source, or else the stream may be modulated such as to overlay the pulsing. In the first case, a live TV broadcast can be arranged to have the feature imbedded simply by slightly pulsing the illumination of the scene that is being broadcast. This method can of course also be used in making movies and recording video tapes and DVDs.
Video tapes can be edited such as to overlay the pulsing by means of modulating hardware. A simple modulator is discussed wherein the luminance signal of composite video is pulsed without affecting the chroma signal. The same effect may be introduced at the consumer end, by modulating the video stream that is produced by the video source. A DVD can be edited through software, by introducing pulse-like variations in the digital RGB signals. Image intensity pulses can be overlaid onto the analog component video output of a DVD player by modulating the luminance signal component. Before entering the TV set, a television signal can be modulated such as to cause pulsing of the image intensity by means of a variable delay line that is connected to a pulse generator.
Certain monitors can emit electromagnetic field pulses that excite a sensory resonance in a nearby subject, through image pulses that are so weak as to be subliminal. This is unfortunate since it opens a way for mischievous application of the invention, whereby people are exposed unknowingly to manipulation of their nervous systems for someone else's purposes. Such application would be unethical and is of course not advocated. It is mentioned here in order to alert the public to the possibility of covert abuse that may occur while being online, or while watching TV, a video, or a DVD.
Pulse Variability In Electric Field Manipulation Of Nervous Systems
United States Patent 6,167,304
Loos December 26, 2000
Abstract
Apparatus and method for manipulating the nervous system of a subject by applying to the skin a pulsing external electric field which, although too weak to cause classical nerve stimulation, modulates the normal spontaneous spiking patterns of certain kinds of afferent nerves. For certain pulse frequencies the electric field stimulation can excite in the nervous system resonances with observable physiological consequences. Pulse variability is introduced for the purpose of thwarting habituation of the nervous system to the repetitive stimulation, or to alleviate the need for precise tuning to a resonance frequency, or to control pathological oscillatory neural activities such as tremors or seizures. Pulse generators with stochastic and deterministic pulse variability are disclosed, and the output of an effective generator of the latter type is characterized.
Summary
Experiments have shown that weak electric fields of frequency near 1/2 Hz applied externally to the skin of a subject can cause relaxation, doziness, ptosis of the eyelids, or sexual excitement, depending on the skin area of application and the precise frequency used. In these experiments the electric field was applied predominantly to selected skin areas away from the head, thereby avoiding substantial polarization current densities in the brain. Apparently, the external electric field influences somatosensory or visceral afferent nerves, which report the effect to the brain. Although the mechanism whereby the field acts on the afferents is unknown, the effect must take the form of a modulation of the spiking patterns of the nerves, because the electric current densities induced in the tissue are much too small to cause firing of a normally quiescent nerve. If the applied external field is periodic, so will be the modulation of the spiking patterns of affected afferent fibers, and the brain is thus exposed to an evoked periodic signal input. It appears that this signal excites certain neural circuits to resonance, with observable consequences. Since the resonances are excited through somatosensory or visceral afferents, they are called "sensory resonances".
Besides the resonance near 1/2 Hz that affects the autonomic nervous system, we have also found a resonance near 2.4 Hz which slows certain cortical processes. For both resonances the strength of the external electric field on the skin must lie in a certain range for the physiological effects to occur. This range, which is called the "effective intensity window", depends on the number of afferents modulated by the field. When a large skin area is exposed, the field strengths at the lower window boundary are very small. The effectiveness of weak fields allows the use of small battery-powered electric field generators that can be used conveniently by the general public as an aid to relaxation, sleep, or sexual excitement, and clinically for control and perhaps treatment of tremors and seizures, and disorders of the autonomic nervous system such as panic attacks.
Compliance of the devices with the MPRII guidelines on field limits in the ELF and VLF frequency bands is easily achieved, because reliance on the resonance mechanism allows the use of weak fields.
The field generators shown involve simple low voltage pulse generators based on 555-type timer chips. The field electrodes can be made small enough to fit, together with the generator, in a single small casing.
Habituation of the nervous system to the electric field stimulation can be thwarted to a considerable extent by introducing variability into the field pulses. Simple circuits are shown that provide stochastic and deterministic pulse variability. The output of a circuit with the latter variability has been measured and characterized. In experiments, the small battery-powered device with this circuit has consistently induced in a male subject sexual excitement for up to an hour duration.
Protection Of Living Systems From Adverse
Effects Of Electric, Magnetic And Electromagnetic Fields
United States Patent 5,450,859
Litovitz September 19, 1995
Abstract
The disclosed embodiments of the inventions disclosed in this application develop a `protection` electric, magnetic or electromagnetic field or fields which are either superimposed upon an ambient field which is detrimental to the health of living systems, or is incorporated into the electrical circuit of the device which is generating the detrimental field. Either arrangement is successful in `confusing` living cells, and thereby reducing the harmful effects of the otherwise detrimental field.
Background Of The Invention
1. Field of the Invention
The inventions described herein relate in general to arrangements (apparatus and methods) for protecting living systems from the adverse effects upon them of electric fields, magnetic fields, and electromagnetic fields. In some instances hereinafter, electric fields, magnetic fields, and electromagnetic fields will all jointly be referred to simply as fields.
More specifically, the inventions are directed to electrical, electronic, electromechanical, and electromagnetic devices, systems, and installations and the effect of their concomitant fields on people, animals, and other living systems. The inventions a non-desired and potentially bioeffecting ambient field into a harmless non-bioeffecting field by either superimposing on the ambient field a `protection` field which sanitizes the ambient field, or changing the electrical operation of the device which is producing the ambient field so that its field emissions become less harmful. Both arrangements are successful in `confusing` the living cell or cells, thereby reducing the potentially harmful effects of the ambient field.
This application incorporates the subject matter set forth in two appendicies, filed herewith entitled: EVIDENCE THAT BIOEFFECTS CAN BE CAUSED BY WEAK ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS and A SUMMARY OF DATA DEMONSTRATING THE FACT THAT PROPERLY FLUCTUATING ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS CAN BLOCK THE BIOEFFECT OF COHERENT STEADY STATE EM FIELDS.
2. Description of Related Art
For some years there has been a growing recognition and concern that humans are suffering adverse effects, notably cancers, from living and/or working in ambient electromagnetic fields, particularly those fields which are alternating or pulsating at extremely low frequencies, or being modulated at extremely low frequencies. Extremely low frequencies, hereinafter referred to as ELF, are frequencies of the order of 1000 Hz and below. Ambient frequencies particularly identified with an enhanced risk of cancer are power line frequencies, which are 60 Hz in the U.S. and 50 Hz in the U.K., European Continental countries, and elsewhere. Electromagnetic fields existing near devices using cathode ray tubes also are implicated, due to fields generated by the magnetic electron beam deflecting devices included in tube control apparatus.
Various articles have been published on the electromagnetic field problem. Over the past 14 years a series of epidemiological studies have found that low level electromagnetic fields [even as low as 1 .mu.T (1 micro Tesla) produced by 60 Hz power lines can be correlated with increased incidence of certain diseases. The correlation is strongest for those who have lived or worked in this environment for many years. For example, an increased risk of cancer has been found among children who lived for several years close to power distribution lines [Wertheimer, N. and Leeper, E. "Electrical Wiring Configurations and Childhood Cancer" AM J EPIDEMIOLOGY, 109, 273-284 (1979); also, Savits, D. A. et al., "Case Control Study of Childhood Cancer and Exposure to 60-Hertz Magnetic Fields, " AM J EPIDEMIOLOGY, 128, 10-20 (1988); also London, D. A. et al. "Exposure To Electric and Magnetic Fields And Risk of Childhood Leukemia", AM. J. EPIDEMIOLOGY, 135, 1069-1070 (1992); also, Milham, S. Jr., "Increased Mortality in Amateur radio Operators Due to Lymphatic and Hematopoietic Malignancies," AM. J. EPIDEMIOLOGY, 128, 1175-1176 (1988).
The research indicates that children from high electromagnetic field exposure homes have a 50 percent greater risk of developing cancer, particularly leukemia, lymphomas, and nervous system tumors. Other data also show that men working in electrical jobs, such as electricians and telephone lineman are at higher risk for brain tumors and other cancers. In a recent study in the Los Angeles area, S. Preston-Martin and collaborators at the University of Southern California found that men who had worked for 10 Years or more in a variety of electrical occupations had a ten times greater chance of getting brain tumors than men in the control group. [Preston-Martin, S., and Mack, W. and Peters, Jr. "Astrocytoma Risk Related to Job Exposure to Electric and Magnetic Fields," presented at DOE contractors Annual Review, Denver Colorado, Nov. 5-8, 1990.]
A study performed by G. Matanoski of Johns Hopkins University found a dose response relationship for cancers in male New York Telephone employees from 1976 to 1980. [Matanoski, G., Elliot, E. and Breysse, P. Poster presented at the annual DOE/EPRI Contractors Review of Biological Effects from Electric and Magnetic Fields, November 1989, Portland, Ore.] Matanoski measured the average magnetic field exposure among different types of employees including installation and repair workers. A comparison of the cancer rates among the various types of employees showed that cable splicers were nearly twice as likely to develop cancer as those employees who did not work on telephone lines. Among central office workers those who were exposed to the fields of telephone switching equipment the rates of occurrence of cancers were unusually high, although not as high as for cable splicers. The central office workers were more than three times as likely to get prostate cancer and more than twice as likely to get oral cancer as co-workers who were less exposed. There were two cases of male breast cancer, a disease so rare that no cases at all would be expected.
The 60 Hz electromagnetic fields found in residential settings can vary from about 0.05 .mu.T to over 1000 .mu.T. In-vitro experiments have definitely shown that changes in biological cell function can occur in fields as low or lower than 1 .mu.T and as high as 500 .mu.T. R. Goodman and collaborators [Goodman, R. and Henderson, A., "Sine Waves Enhance Cellular transcription," BIOELECTROMAGNETICS, 7, 23-29, 1986)]have shown that RNA levels can be increased by electromagnetic fields ranging in frequency from 15 to 4400 Hz with amplitudes of 18 to 1150 .mu.T. They have shown that the RNA levels can be enhanced by factors of ten or more. Jutilainen and coworkers [Jutilainen, J., Laara, E. and Saali, K., INT>J. RADIAT. BIOL., 52,787-793, (1987)] have shown that 1 .mu.T 50-Hertz electromagnetic fields can induce abnormalities in chick embryos. Thus, electromagnetic fields appear not only to be carcinogenic, but also capable of inducing birth defects. Pollack and collaborators, C. T. Brighton, E. O'Keefe, S. R. Pollack and C. C. Clark, J. ORTH. RES. (to be published), have shown that electric fields as low as 0.1 mv/cm at 60 Khz can stimulate growth of bone osteoblasts. McLeod and collaborators have found that in the region between 1 Hz and 100 Hz, much lower fields are needed to stimulate fibroblast growth than at frequencies above and below this range [McLeod, K. J., Lee, R. and Ehrlich, H., "Frequency Dependence of Electric Field Modulation of Fibroblast Protein Synthesis," SCIENCE, 250, 1465 (1987)].
Other than epidemiologic studies, whole body research on EMF exposure has generally been limited to animals. Adverse effects from electromagnetic field exposure have also been shown demonstrated in this case. For example McLean et al. have presented a paper at the Thirteenth Annual Meeting of the Electromagnetic Society, in June 1991 entitled "Tumor Co-promotion in the mouse skin by 60-Hz Magnetic Fields". They have shown that the number of tumors present is increased by the presence of the magnetic field. Frolen et al. in a paper presented to the First European Congress on Bioelectromagnetism in 1991 entitled "Effects of Pulsed Magnetic Fields on the Developing Mouse Embryo". They show that mice exposed to magnetic fields have significantly more fetal resorptions than those which are unexposed. Since the present inventions negate all electromagnetic field induced bioeffects, all living systems can benefit from its application.
One method typically employed in the prior art to protect living systems from the detrimental effects of fields is to shield the field source. The shielding collects the energy of the field, and then typically grounds it. In practice shielding is impractical because it must completely cover a field source in order to contain the field. The field will radiate through any openings in the shield. In reality, devices cannot be entirely shielded, therefore, while the shielding method can reduce the field it does not entirely eliminate it or its potentially hazardous attributes.
Cathode ray tubes (CRT) are a source of electromagnetic fields to which people are often exposed, for instance television sets and computer screens. Attempts have been made by others in the art to shield the field which emanates from CRT's. One type of shield has been devised to surround the electromagnetic coils of the CRT. Another type of shield has been designed to entirely enclose the CRT. The shields which surround the coils do not, however, eliminate the field completely, nor do the shields which entirely enclose the CRT. These methods are often prohibitively expensive and often do not offer complete elimination of the detrimental effect of the fields.
Another method typically used in the prior art to protect living systems from electromagnetic fields is to balance the field from the source so that the source effectively cancels its own field, thus ideally producing no offending field. For instance, the AC power distribution to homes and industries is typically carried over unshielded bare copper wires, suspended in the air from towers. These lines are usually either two-phase or three-phase. Theoretically these lines can be arranged physically and by phase such that the EMF fields produced by the individual lines are each canceled by the other power line(s). In practice, however, this power cancellation is not complete and an ambient field still results. Also, the costs involved to produce a power distribution system such as this is prohibitively high.
The present inventions have many advantages over the methods employed thus far in the art. Many of the embodiments of the inventions are very inexpensive, they can provide positive protection for the individual, and they can be provided at the control of the individual. There is no need to wait until the power company changes the design of its power distribution system, or wait until the television or computer manufacturer completely shields the product. Some of the embodiments of the inventions enable living systems to have individual protection from the detrimental effects of ambient fields, if and when it is desired. Shielding is not always practical, and even when it is practical it is not always complete. Therefore the present inventions can also provide the user with personal control over the detrimental effects of ambient fields.
To the best of my knowledge, to date no one has heretofore proposed my inventions, although over 12 years have lapsed since the first recognition of the dangers of chronic electromagnetic field exposures to humans. There have been many teachings about the use of electromagnetic fields to treat humans for pre-existing diseases or conditions. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,066,065 (Kraus 1978) describes a coil structure to create a magnetic field for treatment of a hip joint. U.S. Pat. No. 4,105,017 (Ryaby 1978) describes a surgically non-invasive method of an apparatus for altering the growth, repair or maintenance behavior of living tissues by inducing voltages and concomitant current pulses. U.K. Patent GB 2 188 238 A (Nenov et al. 1986) describes an apparatus alleged to provide analgesic, trophic and anti-inflammatory effects. Costa (1987) U.S. Pat. No. 4,665,898 describes a magnetic coil apparatus for treatment of malignant cells with little damage to normal tissue. An apparatus for treatment of diseases of the peripheral and autonomic nervous system as well as other diseases has been described by Solov'eva et al. ("`Polyus-1` Apparatus for Low-Frequency Magnetotherapy," G. Solor'eva, V. Eremin and R. Gorzon, BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING (Trans. of: Med. Tekh, (USSR)), Vol. 7, No. 5, pp. 291-1 (1973).
The above procedures are usually referred to as "magnetotherapeutic" procedures. My inventions focus instead on the prevention of disease caused by long term exposure to ambient time varying electric, magnetic and electromagnetic fields. To date, no other proposals have been presented which utilize modifications of the time dependence of the ambient fields to prevent adverse health effects of ambient electromagnetic fields. Basic to all the patents and articles which describe the treatment of pre-existing diseases by electromagnetic fields (magnetic therapy) is the assumption that electric or magnetic fields (often of large magnitude, e.g. 1 to 100 micro Tesla (Ryaby 1978), if applied for some limited period of time, can beneficially alter the functioning of the cells and tissues within living systems. Now it is known that chronic, long term exposure to even very low level, time varying fields (e.g., magnetic fields as low as 0.5 .mu.T) can cause some of the very diseases which short term therapeutic doses of these fields are used to treat. Methods of protection from the biological effects of magnetic fields have been sorely needed. To find this protection it was necessary for me to recognize that magnetic therapy is carried out by affecting biologic cell function. It had to be realized that if magnetic therapy does not affect the physiological functioning of the living system then no therapeutic effect could result. What was needed, which the present inventions provide, is a method of modifying the ambient fields in which living systems exist in such a way that they have no effect on cell function. This modified field has no utility in the treatment of any disease or biologic malfunction. This modified field is not of any use in magnetic therapy. However, this modified field (because it does not affect the function of the cells and tissues of the living system) has no adverse health effects. Thus, long term exposure to these modified fields will be safe. These modified fields would not, for example, increase the risk of developing cancer.
However, none of the above authors, or anyone else before me, had discovered that periodically changing these very low ambient fields as described elsewhere herein can prevent harmful effects of electromagnetic fields.
[For more, explore the Patent buy number]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~