Similar Spectral Power Densities Within the Schumann Resonance and a Large Population of Quantitative Electroencephalographic Profiles: Supportive Evidence for Koenig and Pobachenko


More data that support a confluence between the characteristics of the brain's electromagnetic activity and the earth's electromagnetic activity, and maybe a confluence between their function (mind).

The authors proceed with two experiments; in the first they search for Schumann-resonance like signatures in human brains and a spectral distribution comparable to those was observed with peak frequencies centering at approximately 7.5 Hz, 13.5 Hz and 20 Hz within the global QEEG power for 237 records, in the second experiment they corroborate previous findings of synchrony between signals measured from the earth-ionospheric cavity and electroencephalographic activity with correlations that occurred for intervals of about 300 ms duration for the frequencies 8 Hz, 13 Hz, and 20 Hz and greatest phase shift at 7.8 Hz, and about 1-2 times per minute.

" In 1954 and 1960 Koenig and his colleagues described the remarkable similarities of spectral power density profiles and patterns between the earth-ionosphere resonance and human brain activity which also share magnitudes for both electric field (mV/m) and magnetic field (pT) components. In 2006 Pobachenko and colleagues reported real time coherence between variations in the Schumann and brain activity spectra within the 6–16 Hz band for a small sample. We examined the ratios of the average potential differences (~3 μV) obtained by whole brain quantitative electroencephalography (QEEG) between rostral-caudal and left-right (hemispheric) comparisons of 238 measurements from 184 individuals over a 3.5 year period. Spectral densities for the rostral-caudal axis revealed a powerful peak at 10.25 Hz while the left-right peak was 1.95 Hz with beat-differences of ~7.5 to 8 Hz. When global cerebral measures were employed, the first (7–8 Hz), second (13–14 Hz) and third (19–20 Hz) harmonics of the Schumann resonances were discernable in averaged QEEG profiles in some but not all participants. The intensity of the endogenous Schumann resonance was related to the ‘best-of-fitness’ of the traditional 4-class microstate model. Additional measurements demonstrated real-time coherence for durations approximating microstates in spectral power density variations between Schumann frequencies measured in Sudbury, Canada and Cumiana, Italy with the QEEGs of local subjects. Our results confirm the measurements reported by earlier researchers that demonstrated unexpected similarities in the spectral patterns and strengths of electromagnetic fields generated by the human brain and the earth-ionospheric cavity." {Credits 1}

Previously also Persinger (one of the authors) applying the concept of scale-invariance, showed that the current densities of action potentials propagating along an axon were similar to those of lightning strikes suggesting that a fractal relationship between processes occurring within the brain were reflective of processes occurring over the entire planet [1].

Also it can be pointed out that previously various influences and coupling, over the brain activity, of the geomagnetic activity have been discovered [2], and as the authors refer in the case of picotesla intensities:

" Although these intensities appear small, experimental application of pT, spatial and temporally-patterned magnetic fields have been reported to produce discernable improvement in some clinical disorders, such as Tourette’s and multiple sclerosis [32,33] as well as some electrical foci associated with partial seizures [34]. Correlative responses associated with subjects’ experiences have been associated with geomagnetic changes in the order of pT·s-1 [35]" {Credits 1}

In the discussion, previous to other more specific elucidations and data (also very interesting) they point out:

" Whether or not information from the cerebral volume could be represented within the Schumann volume (or viceversa) has significant philosophical and social implications that QEEG and neuroimaging could soon address." {Credits 1}

Also to underline this reference to 'four microstates' in brains:

" .. less of the total variance for the classic micro-states was explained for those brains that displayed the lowest Schumann spectral density. This could be interpreted as Schumann power functions like a “homogenizer” by removing “random” or “unique” sources of variation and enhancing the prevalence of the four basic micro-states." {Credits 1}

" .. The clever consideration [47,41] that four microstates [25] could reflect functional cognitive units or “atoms of thought” that are the information within the stream of dynamic process within cerebral space, analogous to base nucleotide pairs for genetic information within DNA sequences, exemplifies the significance of this approach." {Credits 1}

{Credits 1} 🎪 Saroka KS, Vares DE, Persinger MA. Similar Spectral Power Densities Within the Schumann Resonance and a Large Population of Quantitative Electroencephalographic Profiles: Supportive Evidence for Koenig and Pobachenko. PLoS One. 2016;11(1):e0146595. Published 2016 Jan 19. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0146595. © 2016 Saroka et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.

[1] Persinger, M. A. (2012). Brain electromagnetic activity and lightning: potentially congruent scale-invariant quantitative properties. Frontiers in integrative neuroscience, 6, 19.

[2] EMMIND › Applied Fields - Experimental › Various Effects › Geomagnetism & Earth Fields


Last modified on 15-Mar-16

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