Magnetometry of injury currents from human nerve and muscle specimens using Superconducting Quantum Interferences Devices

• Published in: Neuroscience letters 1999-03, Vol.262 (3), p.163-166
• Main Authors: Mackert, Bruno-Marcel, Mackert, Jan, Wübbeler, Gerd, Armbrust, Frank, Wolff, Klaus-Dieter, Burghoff, Martin, Trahms, Lutz, Curio, Gabriel
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Biological and medical sciences; DC-recording; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; Humans; Injury current; Magnetics; Muscle injury; Muscle, Skeletal - injuries; Muscle, Skeletal - physiopathology; Nerve injury; Nervous System - physiopathology; Neuromagnetism; Quantum Theory; Superconducting Quantum Interference Device; Trauma, Nervous System; Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems
• ISSN: 0304-3940; 1872-7972
• DOI: 10.1016/S0304-3940(99)00067-1

Acute lesions of polarized membranes lead to slowly decaying (`near-DC') injury currents driven by the transmembrane resting potential gradient. Here we report the first recordings of injury-related near-DC magnetic fields from human nerve and muscle specimens in vitro using Superconducting Quantum Interference Devices (SQUIDs) operated in a conventional magnetically shielded room in a clinical environment. The specimen position was modulated sinusoidally beneath the sensor array by a non-magnetically fabricated scissors lift to improve the signal-to-noise ratio for near-DC fields. Depending on the specimen geometry the field patterns showed dipolar or quadrupolar aspects. The slow decay of human nerve and muscle injury currents was monitored for several hours from a distance of a few centimeters. Thus DC-magnetometry provides a sensitivity which might allow the remote detection of injury currents also in vivo.