At-home magnetic stimulation for patients with long COVID produced sustained improvements in memory, processing speed, and emotional well-being.
RT’s Three Key Takeaways:
- Investigational At-Home Therapy: A clinical trial demonstrated that a head-worn device delivering low-amplitude magnetic fields twice weekly was safe, feasible, and well tolerated for treating cognitive impairment in people with long COVID, according to a study led by Mount Sinai researchers.
- Sustained Neurological Gains: Patients receiving active treatment experienced improvements in working memory, verbal learning, processing speed, and mood that continued four weeks after therapy ended, according to study findings.
- Novel Noninvasive Approach: The preliminary results offer early evidence that noninvasive biophysical treatments may help address post-viral cognitive symptoms, commonly known as brain fog, that affect millions of patients, according to researchers.
A transcranial low-amplitude magnetic field therapy delivered twice weekly through an at-home, noninvasive headset improved measures of cognitive function and emotional well-being in patients experiencing cognitive impairment linked to long COVID, according to a pilot study published in Brain Communications.
According to the study findings, the improvements observed among participants receiving active treatment continued after the intervention ended, providing early evidence that noninvasive biophysical methods warrant further investigation for persistent neurological symptoms associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection.
“Cognitive symptoms are among the most persistent and disabling manifestations of long COVID, yet evidence-based treatment options have been sparse,” said Jacqueline Becker, PhD, clinical neuropsychologist and assistant professor of medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and co-senior author of the study. “What is particularly encouraging about these findings is that we observed improvements across several cognitive domains, as well as in daily functioning and well-being, and that these improvements persisted even after treatment ended.”
Evaluating Microtesla Magnetic Therapy at Home
Long COVID, or post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection, can involve persistent multisystem symptoms, including cognitive impairment often described as “brain fog,” which disrupts attention, memory, executive function, and daily quality of life, according to the researchers. Evidence cited by the study team suggests that sustained neuroinflammation, cerebrovascular dysfunction, and mitochondrial impairment contribute to these neurological symptoms.
In the triple-blind pilot study, investigators evaluated the feasibility and safety of Microtesla Magnetic Therapy (MMT), a proprietary investigational device developed by Fareon, a clinical-stage biophysics company. Although MMT has exhibited anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects in preclinical models, the trial represented the first randomized controlled trial evaluating the technology for long COVID cognitive symptoms, according to the study authors.
The trial enrolled 30 participants with confirmed objective cognitive impairment from long COVID who were randomized 2:1 to receive either active or sham MMT. Participants self-administered 15-minute sessions at home twice per week for four weeks using a head-worn device that delivered either a nonthermal radio-frequency magnetic field to the whole brain or no field in the sham group, while receiving remote monitoring from the study team, according to trial data.
Trial Outcomes and Future Research
The researchers reported that at-home MMT was feasible, safe, and well tolerated, with active treatment recipients demonstrating improvements in working memory, verbal learning, processing speed, and emotional well-being compared with the sham group.
Investigators also noted continued improvement across several exploratory measures between week four, when active treatment concluded, and week eight of follow-up, indicating potential durability beyond the treatment period, according to the published findings.
“According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, roughly 7% of Americans are experiencing symptoms related to long COVID, and a majority of these people report cognitive symptoms as amongst their most troubling and disabling symptoms. There is an urgent need to find answers and effective treatments for the hundreds of millions of people worldwide who are struggling with long COVID. This first-in-human study is a promising start for a completely novel therapy that is showing great potential,” said David Putrino, PhD, director of the Cohen Center for Recovery From Complex Chronic Illness at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and co-senior author of the study.
The investigators emphasized that MMT remains investigational and does not represent an approved treatment for long COVID. The Mount Sinai research team stated that it plans to confirm the findings in larger patient populations to evaluate symptom durability and explore the biological mechanisms governing magnetic field therapy in post-COVID recovery within the wider healthcare landscape.
