Effects of Pulsed Electromagnetic Field on Reactive Performance

Pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) stimulation has been widely used in clinical settings for injury recovery and pain reduction; however, little is understood on its ability to modulate cortical activity, specifically in enhancing reactive performance. We hypothesized that stimulation of the FpZ site (Brodmann areas 10, 11, and 32), would upregulate activity in the prefrontal cortex, namely, the attentional network, which controls volitional movement. Twenty healthy subjects completed six trials on the Dynavision D2 interactive light board to establish a baseline for reactive performance (10 experimental and 10 sham). All participants donned a Bellabee wearable device and underwent (or did not undergo, if designated to the sham condition) 40 min of beta stimulation at the 10-20 FpZ location. Six trials were completed again after stimulation. A paired t-test revealed significant differences in the visual (p = .003) and physical (p = .011) components for the experimental condition. A student’s t-test revealed the motor component to be significant (p = .023) when evaluating the postreaction time between the two conditions. Our findings suggest that a single dose of PEMF stimulation was sufficient to elicit significant changes in increasing reactive performance.