Effects of extremely low-frequency magnetic fields on neuron activity

To provide insights into the effects of neuronal activity by extremely low-frequency (ELF) magnetic field (MF), this paper investigates the response of a two-dimensional neuronal model under an ELF MF at different frequency and amplitude. By analyzing the shift in neuronal spike timing and average spiking frequency, it can be found that the perturbation of neuronal spike timing and average spiking frequency induced by MF exposure is maximized at several harmonics of the intrinsic spiking frequency of the neuron. The ELF MF can advance neuronal spike timing, as well as delay spike timing. The effects of ELF MF on neuronal activity will increase as the frequency and amplitude of MF increase. It is also shown that the perturbation of neuronal average spiking frequency is much smaller than that of the shift in spike timing during the MF exposure. These results may contribute to guide future magnetic therapeutic developments.