Long-lasting changes in brain activation induced by a single REAC technology pulse in Wi-Fi bands. Randomized double-blind fMRI qualitative study

Abstract

The aim of this randomized double-blind study was to evaluate in healthy adult subjects, with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), long lasting changes in brain activation patterns following administration of a single, 250 milliseconds pulse emitted with radio-electric asymmetric conveyer (REAC) technology in the Wi-Fi bands. The REAC impulse was not administered during the scan, but after this, according to a protocol that has previously been demonstrated to be effective in improving motor control and postural balance, in healthy subjects and patients. The study was conducted on 33 healthy volunteers, performed with a 1.5 T unit while operating a motor block task involving cyclical and alternating flexion and extension of one leg. Subsequently subjects were randomly divided into a treatment and a sham treatment control group. Repeated fMRI examinations were performed following the administration of the REAC pulse or sham treatment. The Treated group showed cerebellar and ponto-mesencephalic activation components that disappeared in the second scan, while these activation components persisted in the Sham group. This study shows that a very weak signal, such as 250 milliseconds Wi-Fi pulse, administered with REAC technology, could lead to lasting effects on brain activity modification.

Radio Electric Asymmetric Conveyer: A Novel Neuromodulation Technology in Alzheimer’s and Other Neurodegenerative Diseases

“…Overall, these results suggest profound influences of REAC on brain functional network architecture at the cellular level, even in strongly perturbed networks such as the CCI chronic pain model. These findings at the neuronal scale supplement the previous fMRI data that reported REAC-induced BOLD signal reductions in motor regions activated by simple motor tasks involving finger tapping ( 26 ), leg flexion ( 27 ), and postural balance control ( 28 ).…”

“…The NPO protocol consists of a single 250 ms REAC pulse and is designed to determine initial efficacy of neuromodulation. This effect is particularly stable over time and capable of determining positive neuromotor effects, subjective and objective, detectable with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) ( 25 – 27 ). The NPPO consists of seven 500 ms REAC pulses, administered in a precise sequence.…”

“…In fMRI studies ( 25 – 27 ) on healthy subjects, brain activity has been shown to be sensitive to REAC neuromodulation treatment administered according to the NPO. REAC-NPO is thought to modulate and optimize motor and postural strategies ( 28 ), thus inducing neuromodulation.…”

“…REAC-NPO is thought to modulate and optimize motor and postural strategies ( 28 ), thus inducing neuromodulation. It is possible to highlight this neuromodulation though the fMRI BOLD signal via reductions in signals from motor regions activated by simple motor tasks like finger tapping ( 26 ) or leg flexion ( 25 , 27 ). These BOLD signal spatial reductions in REAC-NPO-treated groups are particularly noticeable in cerebellar and ponto-mesencephalic areas, where the signal completely disappears.…”

Electrophysiological effects of non-invasive Radio Electric Asymmetric Conveyor (REAC) on thalamocortical neural activities and perturbed experimental conditions

“…The REAC technology (acronym for Radio Electric Asymmetric Conveyor) is a technology based on low intensity (2 mW at the emitter) microwave emission (2.4 or 5.8 GHz) able to interact with biological tissues by inducing radiofrequency generated microcurrents conveyed in an asymmetric manner 1 2 . It shows remarkable biological effects at many scales from gene modulations up to functional global remodeling of districts or in human subjects 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 . Those relevant to the central nervous system include, for instance, significant effects at the cellular stem-cell 3 4 5 and the general levels in neurological and neurodegenerative disorders disease 6 or in the treatment of generalized and social anxiety disorders 7 8 .…”