No modulatory effects by transcranial static magnetic field stimulation of human motor and somatosensory cortex

•We examined the modulatory effects of static magnetic field stimulation in the motor and somatosensory system.•In the motor system, in two independent experiments no change of motor cortex excitability was observed.•In the somatosensory system, no change of SSEPs (amplitude and paired pulse inhibition) was found.•We could not replicate the previously reported modulatory effects of static magnetic field stimulation.

BackgroundRecently, it was reported that the application of a static magnetic field by placing a strong permanent magnet over the scalp for 10 min led to an inhibition of motor cortex excitability for at least 6 min after removing the magnet. When placing the magnet over the somatosensory cortex, a similar inhibitory after effect could be observed as well.ObjectiveOur aim was to replicate the inhibitory effects of transcranial static magnetic field stimulation in the motor and somatosensory system.MethodsThe modulatory effect of static magnetic field stimulation was investigated in three experiments. In two experiments motor cortex excitability was measured before and after 10 or 15 min of magnet application, respectively. The second experiment included a sham condition and was designed in a double-blinded manner. In a third experiment, paired-pulse SSEPs were measured pre and four times post positioning the magnet over the somatosensory cortex for 10 min on both hemispheres, respectively. The SSEPs of the non stimulated hemisphere served as control condition.ResultsWe did not observe any systematic effect of the static magnetic field neither on motor cortex excitability nor on SSEPs. Moreover, no SSEP paired-pulse suppression was found.ConclusionWe provide a detailed analysis of possible confounding factors and differences to previous studies on tSMS. After all, our results could not confirm the static magnetic field effect.