Transcranial stimulability of phosphenes by long lightning electromagnetic pulses
Abstract
The electromagnetic pulses of rare long (order of seconds) repetitive lightning discharges near strike point (order of 100 m) are analyzed and compared to magnetic fields applied in standard clinical transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) practice. It is shown that the time-varying lightning magnetic fields and locally induced electric fields are in the same order of magnitude and frequency as those established in TMS experiments to study stimulated perception phenomena, like magnetophosphenes. Lightning electromagnetic pulse induced transcranial magnetic stimulation of phosphenes in the visual cortex is concluded to be a plausible interpretation of a large class of reports on luminous perceptions during thunderstorms.
- Publication:
-
Physics Letters A
- Pub Date:
- June 2010
- DOI:
- 10.1016/j.physleta.2010.05.023
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1005.1153
- Bibcode:
- 2010PhLA..374.2932P
- Keywords:
-
- Physics - Medical Physics;
- Physics - Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics
- E-Print:
- Published in Physics Letters A. Erratum and addendum corrects induced electric field strength calculations and revises conclusions
