Method of and apparatus for magnetically stimulating neural cells

摘要

A first energy field is applied to a neural cell to be stimulated from a polarized quiescent state to an active depolarized state. The first field changes the cell from the quiescent state so the cell transmembrane potential differs from both of the states. While the transmembrane potential differs from both the states a field including a cyclic magnetic component is applied to the cell. The cyclic magnetic component has a frequency and amplitude and is combined with effects from the first energy field such that each cycle of the cyclic magnetic component causes an incremental change in transmembrane potential of the cell without changing the cell from the quiescent to the active state. The cyclic magnetic component applied to the cell has a duration and amplitude and is combined with the effects of the first energy field to cause an accumulation of the incremental changes to change the cell state from the quiescent to the active state.