on August 19, 2026
The brain does not communicate solely through molecules
Every function of the nervous system depends on the ability of cells to receive, process, and transmit information.
A neuron is not simply a cell that produces neurotransmitters. It is a highly specialized bioelectrical system in which the cell membrane maintains potential differences, ions pass through selective channels, synapses transfer information, and mitochondria provide the energy necessary for all this to occur.
Alongside neurons are glial cells, which participate in regulating the extracellular environment, neuronal metabolism, the immune response, and the plasticity of nervous tissue.
When these communication systems are altered, the consequence is not necessarily an immediately evident anatomical lesion. A biological communication dysfunction can also occur: the signal is generated, transmitted, or interpreted inefficiently.
It is precisely in this biological space that the growing interest in pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMF) fits.
It is not a matter of "curing the mind" through a psychological action, but of studying whether a physical stimulus can interact with the bioelectrical and molecular processes that regulate the functioning of nerve cells.
Bioelectricity is an integral part of cellular communication
The membrane of a cell maintains an electrical potential difference determined mainly by the distribution of ions between the intracellular and extracellular environments.
In the neuron, this principle reaches an extraordinary complexity: variations in membrane potential generate the action potential, which allows the nerve signal to propagate along the axon.
But biological electricity does not belong solely to neurons.
Membrane potential, ionic fluxes, intracellular calcium, mitochondrial activity, and redox signals are connected in a network in which the electrical and biochemical components influence each other.
For this reason, it is scientifically plausible to study the interaction between external electromagnetic fields and excitable biological systems.
What can a pulsed electromagnetic field do?
PEMFs produce temporal variations in the electromagnetic field capable of generating weak induced electric currents in tissues.
The biological interaction depends on numerous parameters: frequency, intensity, waveform, pulse duration, exposure mode, and the tissue involved.
For this reason, speaking generally about "magnetotherapy" can be misleading: different fields, with different parameters, are not necessarily biologically equivalent.
Experimental research suggests that certain PEMFs can influence:
- cell membrane potential and organization;
- ion movement, including calcium;
- mitochondrial function;
- production of reactive oxygen species (ROS);
- inflammatory response;
- gene expression;
- microRNA;
- neurotrophic factors;
- communication between cells.
This multiplicity of targets is particularly interesting because many neurological conditions do not depend on a single mechanism.
The mitochondrion: a possible interface between electrical signal and cellular function
One of the most interesting points of contemporary research concerns the mitochondrion.
The mitochondrion is not merely the "powerhouse" of the cell. It is a dynamic organelle involved in the regulation of calcium, apoptosis, redox state, and cellular signaling.
A compromise in mitochondrial function can determine:
reduction in ATP production → alteration of cellular processes → increase in oxidative stress → alteration of cellular communication → compromise of neuronal function.
From this perspective, the modulation of mitochondrial function represents one of the possible mechanisms through which a physical stimulation could influence the functioning of the nervous system.
A study published in 2024 in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences analyzed the effects of complex magnetic fields (CMF) on glial-like cells obtained from the differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells. The authors evaluated cell proliferation, mitochondrial function, oxidative stress, and microRNA profiles. The results indicated changes in cellular pathways associated with mitochondrial function, membrane organization, vesicular transport, and cellular regulation.
MicroRNAs: when the electromagnetic field meets the regulation of biological information
One of the most innovative aspects of the 2024 study concerns microRNAs (miRNAs).
MicroRNAs are small non-coding RNA molecules capable of modulating the expression of numerous genes. They can therefore be considered, simply put, as regulators of the intensity with which certain biological instructions are translated into cellular function.
In the work of Chianese and collaborators, exposure to CMF modified the profile of several microRNAs in glial-like cells. The associated pathways included, among others, cellular metabolism, mitochondrial organization, cellular communication, vesicular transport, and response to oxidative stress.
This result opens an important perspective.
If a physical field is able to modulate intracellular signals, and these signals in turn regulate the expression of genes and proteins, the biological effect does not necessarily have to be imagined as a simple "stimulation".
It can be conceived as a modulation of the cellular communication network.
It is an important conceptual difference.
From the cell to the nervous system: why communication is fundamental
The nervous system can be considered a gigantic communication network.
Information is transmitted:
from cell to cell, through synapses;
within the cell, through electrical, ionic, and biochemical signals;
between neurons and glial cells, through neurotransmitters, cytokines, metabolites, and extracellular signals;
between cytoplasm and nucleus, through signaling pathways that modify gene expression;
between metabolism and neuronal function, through mitochondrial activity.
When this network loses its balance, extremely different manifestations can appear.
Neuropathic pain, mood alterations, sleep disorders, cognitive alterations, and neurodegenerative phenomena indeed have different origins and mechanisms, but in some cases share components such as neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, mitochondrial alterations, and neuronal communication dysfunctions.
It is precisely this convergence of mechanisms that makes the biophysical approach interesting.
When a pathology is influenced by the mind, it does not mean that it is "imaginary"
It is important to overcome an old dichotomy: organic versus psychological.
The brain is the organ in which psychological experience and biological physiology are continuously integrated.
Chronic stress, emotions, sleep, pain, and psychological state can modify the activity of the autonomic nervous system, the endocrine response, the immune activity, and numerous brain circuits.
At the same time, biological alterations of the nervous system can modify mood, behavior, pain perception, and sleep quality.
It is therefore a bidirectional system.
PEMF research is interesting precisely because it introduces a possible physical input directly on the biological substrate of nerve communication.
This does not mean that a "mind-dependent" disease is caused exclusively by the mind, nor that a magnetic field can erase it.
It means that, when there is a component of neurophysiological dysfunction, it is scientifically sensible to study whether a physical modulation can modify some of the biological processes involved.
Depression: one of the fields in which clinical studies already exist
Depression represents a particularly interesting case because the effect of PEMFs has also been studied through randomized controlled trials.
In a sham-controlled, randomized, double-blind study, patients with treatment-resistant major depression were subjected to T-PEMF or sham treatment. The active treatment produced a statistically and clinically significant improvement compared to sham, with an effect size on the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale of 0.62. Adverse effects were few and generally mild.
A subsequent study compared one and two daily exposures in patients with resistant depression. After eight weeks, the reported remission rates were respectively 73.5% and 67.7%, although the study was relatively small in size.
These results are important because they demonstrate that the hypothesis does not belong solely to cellular research: there is clinical experimentation in humans.
Some T-PEMF protocols have shown a potential antidepressant effect in specific clinical populations, especially as an add-on treatment in resistant depression.
The brain also modifies its own activity after stimulation
Another interesting element comes from neuroimaging studies.
In a randomized, sham-controlled, double-blind study of 50 patients with treatment-resistant depression, T-PEMF was associated with changes in brain activation during tasks related to emotional processing and reward. However, the authors emphasize that the precise brain mechanism of the antidepressant action remains to be clarified.
This finding is particularly important for the concept of "message transmission".
We are therefore not merely looking at a peripheral modification. Changes in the activity of specific brain regions were observed after treatment.
The electromagnetic field therefore appears to be able to interact with complex neural circuits, although the exact way in which this interaction translates into a clinical benefit has yet to be defined.
Parkinson's and neurodegeneration: a possibility still under study
Clinical studies have also been conducted in Parkinson's disease.
A randomized trial studied 97 people with Parkinson's who received T-PEMF or placebo for eight weeks, assessing motor parameters such as movement speed and functional capacity.
Another study analyzed safety and quality of life and highlighted the interest in the method as a possible adjunctive treatment.
Research continues: in 2026, a new randomized trial is underway involving 30 minutes a day for six months of active or sham treatment, with treatment extended up to twelve months, precisely to evaluate the effects of T-PEMF on the progression and neurobiological parameters of Parkinson's disease.
The fact that new studies of this scale are needed clearly indicates that neuroprotection and the ability to modify the progression of neurodegeneration are not yet proven.
Neuropathy: from symptom to nerve structure
Another area of research concerns neuropathic pain.
In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 225 patients with peripheral diabetic neuropathy, PEMF did not produce a significant reduction in pain intensity measured by VAS and NPS. However, some secondary indicators were favorable: the Patient Global Impression of Change favored the PEMF treatment, and in the biopsy subgroup, some treated patients showed an increase in the density of intraepidermal nerve fibers.
This study is particularly instructive.
It demonstrates that a biological effect does not necessarily coincide with clinical remission.
It is possible to observe a change in a neurobiological parameter without achieving a complete disappearance of the symptom.
It is precisely this distinction that allows the discussion to remain scientifically correct.
The possible biological model: restoring signal quality
In light of the available evidence, it is possible to formulate a hypothetical model.
A pathological condition can involve:
oxidative stress → mitochondrial alteration → modification of membrane potential → alteration of intracellular signaling → neuroinflammation → modification of neuronal communication → functional impairment.
A pulsed electromagnetic field, through its interaction with bioelectric and biochemical systems, could theoretically intervene at some nodes of the same network:
PEMF → bioelectric modulation → regulation of calcium and the membrane → mitochondrial function → ROS/redox → intracellular signals → microRNA/gene expression → cellular communication → nerve function.
The 2024 study on CMF provides a particularly interesting experimental element because it shows simultaneous modifications of oxidative stress, mitochondrial function, and microRNA in glial-like cells.
Functional modulation or normalization.
The technology could help return some biological systems to conditions of greater balance by intervening in the mechanisms that regulate:
membrane potential, energy metabolism, mitochondrial function, oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, and intercellular communication.
If this modulation occurs in a pathologically altered circuit and if that circuit contributes significantly to the clinical manifestation, the improvement of biological function can also translate into an improvement of symptoms.
But the relationship is not necessarily linear.
A neurological disease can have multiple causes simultaneously: genetic, metabolic, vascular, immunological, structural, and environmental.
For this reason, the same stimulation can have different effects in different people.
From biophysics to personalized medicine
The most interesting perspective is therefore not to consider PEMF as a technology capable of indiscriminately "curing all diseases".
Rather, it is to consider them as a physical tool potentially capable of modulating specific biological circuits.
The frequency and intensity of the field, the duration of exposure, and the treated area therefore become fundamental elements to simultaneously correlate:
biophysical parameters → molecular biomarkers → neuroimaging → neurological function → patient-reported symptoms.
A new interpretation of biological communication
Modern medicine is gradually abandoning the idea that the organism can be understood as a simple sum of isolated organs.
The brain is a network.
The cell is a network.
The mitochondrion is a network of signals.
The relationship between the nervous system, the immune system, metabolism, and the environment is a network.
In this scenario, a technology capable of modulating a physical signal could influence a sequence of biological events much broader than the single point of application.
The available data on PEMF suggest precisely this possibility: not a pharmacological action that introduces a substance into the organism, but a physical stimulation capable of interacting with the bioelectric, metabolic, and molecular systems of the cell.
Research on glial cells, mitochondria, and microRNA represents one of the most recent pieces of this model.
Clinical studies on depression also show that, under specific conditions and with specific protocols, this modulation can be associated with clinical improvement.
The future direction of research on the 4 spheres will therefore be to understand when a modulation of biological communication is sufficient to produce a true functional normalization.
It is here that biophysics can meet medicine: not by replacing established diagnoses and therapies, but by trying to intervene in the physical mechanisms through which cells receive, process, and transmit information.
Scientific note: the evidence currently available supports a possible biological effect and, for some specific applications, a potential clinical benefit of PEMF, but does not demonstrate that the technology can eliminate a pathology simply by "restoring messages". We are talking about modulation of neuro-cellular communication and possible normalization of some pathophysiological processes.
Bibliographic references
- Chianese D, Bonora M, Sambataro M, et al. Exploring Mitochondrial Interactions with Pulsed Electromagnetic Fields: An Insightful Inquiry into Strategies for Addressing Neuroinflammation and Oxidative Stress in Diabetic Neuropathy. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2024;25(14):7783. doi:10.3390/ijms25147783.
- Martiny K, et al. Transcranial low voltage pulsed electromagnetic fields in patients with treatment-resistant depression. European Psychiatry/related clinical literature. Trial registered NCT00287703. The sham-controlled randomized study reported a significant improvement in depression scores with T-PEMF.
- Martiny K, et al. Dose-remission of pulsating electromagnetic fields as augmentation in therapy-resistant depression: a randomized, double-blind controlled study. Randomized clinical trial on remission in treatment-resistant depression.
- Morberg BM, Malling AS, Jensen BR, Gredal O, Bech P, Wermuth L. Effects of transcranial pulsed electromagnetic field stimulation on quality of life in Parkinson's disease. European Journal of Neurology. 2018;25:963-e74. doi:10.1111/ene.13637.
- Malling ASB, Morberg BM, Wermuth L, et al. Effect of transcranial pulsed electromagnetic fields (T-PEMF) on functional rate of force development and movement speed in persons with Parkinson's disease: a randomized clinical trial. PLOS ONE. 2018;13:e0204478.
- Rintamäki H, et al. Pulsed electromagnetic fields to reduce diabetic neuropathic pain and stimulate neuronal repair: a randomized controlled trial. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. 2009. Trial on 225 patients with diabetic neuropathy.
- Change in brain activation after transcranial pulsed electromagnetic fields in treatment-resistant depression. Sham-controlled randomized study with functional neuroimaging, 50 patients.
- Sørensen NB, et al. Active versus sham transcranial pulsed electromagnetic field headband treatment for major depression: protocol for a double-blinded randomised trial. BMJ Open. 2025. Trial designed with 96 patients with moderate-to-severe depression.
- The Effect of Long-term Treatment of Parkinson's Disease With T-PEMF. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT07306104. Ongoing trial in 2026, aimed at evaluating the effects of 6–12 months of T-PEMF on Parkinson's disease and related neurobiological parameters.
