Regarding Persinger..

Contributor: Todd I. Stark

Not all of this applies to experimental application of magnetic fields to the human brain, but it all has to do with Persinger. Hope it is helpful. Most was taken from newsgroup SCI.PSYCHOLOGY as posted by various authors.

Persinger is perhaps best known for his apparent experimental facilitation of extraordinary experiences by means of a helmet that applies a field to the temporal lobes of human subjects, and for his related controversial theories of how geophysical variables may be related to UFO sightings (Tectonic Strain Theory, TST).

Much of his work has been published in Perceptual and Motor Skills .

MEDLINE listing of Persinger references:

1. TI: Behaviors of rats with insidious, multifocal brain damage induced by seizures following single peripheral injections of lithium and pilocarpine. AU: Persinger-MA; Bureau-YR; Kostakos-M; Peredery-O; Falter-H SO: Physiol-Behav. 1993 May; 53(5): 849-66 LA: ENGLISH AN: 93288747
2. TI: Geophysical variables and behavior: LXXI. Differential contribution of geomagnetic activity to paranormal experiences concerning death and crisis: an alternative to the ESP hypothesis. AU: Persinger-MA SO: Percept-Mot-Skills. 1993 Apr; 76(2): 555-62 LA: ENGLISH AN: 93247898
3. TI: Average diurnal changes in melatonin levels are associated with hourly incidence of bereavement apparitions: support for the hypothesis of temporal (limbic) lobe microseizuring. AU: Persinger-MA SO: Percept-Mot-Skills. 1993 Apr; 76(2): 444-6 LA: ENGLISH AN: 93247884
4. TI: Extreme hypothermia induced by a synergism of acute limbic seizures, physical restraint, and acepromazine: implications for survival following brain injury. AU: Bureau-YR; Persinger-MA SO: Psychol-Rep. 1993 Feb; 72(1): 248-50 LA: ENGLISH AN: 93197444
5. TI: Transcendental Meditation and general meditation are associated with enhanced complex partial epileptic-like signs: evidence for "cognitive" kindling? AU: Persinger-MA SO: Percept-Mot-Skills. 1993 Feb; 76(1): 80-2
6. TI: Paranormal and religious beliefs may be mediated differentially by subcortical and cortical phenomenological processes of the temporal (limbic) lobes. AU: Persinger-MA SO: Percept-Mot-Skills. 1993 Feb; 76(1): 247-51
7. TI: Shifts in the Plutchik emotion profile indices following three weekly treatments with pulsed vs continuous cerebral magnetic fields. AU: Gillis-C; Persinger-MA SO: Percept-Mot-Skills. 1993 Feb; 76(1): 168-70
8. TI: Transient blocking of persistent gnawing by haloperidol in rats with seizure-induced multifocal brain damage. AU: Bureau-YR; Persinger-MA SO: Life-Sci. 1993; 52(10): 869-76
9. TI: Complex partial epileptic signs as a continuum from normals to epileptics: normative data and clinical populations. AU: Persinger-MA; Makarec-K SO: J-Clin-Psychol. 1993 Jan; 49(1): 33-45
10. TI: Enhanced incidence of "the sensed presence" in people who have learned to meditate: support for the right hemispheric intrusion hypothesis. AU: Persinger-MA SO: Percept-Mot-Skills. 1992 Dec; 75(3 Pt 2): 1308-10
11. TI: Right hemisphericity and low self-esteem in high school students: a replication. AU: Lazure-CL; Persinger-MA SO: Percept-Mot-Skills. 1992 Dec; 75(3 Pt 2): 1058
12. TI: Severity of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis in rats depends upon the temporal contiguity between limbic seizures and inoculation. AU: Missaghi-B; Richards-PM; Persinger-MA SO: Pharmacol-Biochem-Behav. 1992 Dec; 43(4): 1081-6
13. TI: Relative right temporal-lobe theta activity correlates with Vingiano's hemispheric quotient and the "sensed presence". AU: Munro-C; Persinger-MA SO: Percept-Mot-Skills. 1992 Dec; 75(3 Pt 1): 899-903
14. TI: The feeling of a presence and verbal meaningfulness in context of temporal lobe function: factor analytic verification of the muses? AU: Persinger-MA; Makarec-K SO: Brain-Cogn. 1992 Nov; 20(2): 217-26
15. TI: Geomagnetic activity and enhanced mortality in rats with acute (epileptic) limbic lability. AU: Bureau-YR; Persinger-MA SO: Int-J-Biometeorol. 1992 Oct; 36(4): 226-32

• Geophysical Variables and Human Behavior: XVI. Some Criticisms. PERCEPTUAL AND MOTOR SKILLS, 58, 1984, pp. 840-842.
• Geophysical Variables and Behavior: XXXIV. Further Comments. PERCEPTUAL AND MOTOR SKILLS, 63, 1986, p. 18.
• Earthlights, earthquakes, UFOs and the TST; or, Who is Micahel Persinger and Why is He Saying Those Things About Me? INTERNATIONAL UFO REPORTER, 11 (1), 1986, pp. 4-8.
• Explaining Everything with the TST: A Response to Paul Devereux. INTERNATIONAL UFO REPORTER, 11 (6), 1986, p. 22.
• UFOs as Natural Phenomena. In: Evans, H. & Spencer, J., eds. UFOS 1947-1987: THE 40-YEAR SEARCH FOR AN EXPLANATION. London: Fortean Tomes, 1987. pp. 273-279.
• Geophysical Alternatives. In: Spencer, J. & Evans, H., eds. PHENOMENON. London: Futura, 1988. pp. 301-307.
• UFOs and Cancer? [with del Bigio, Marc] CANADIAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION JOURNAL, 140, June 1, 1989, pp. 1258-1259.
• Radiative Processes and the Generation of UFO Experiences. INTERNATIONAL UFO REPORTER, 14 (5), 1989, pp. 9-11, 23.
• Critical Comments About Earth Lights and the TST. JOURNAL OF UFO STUDIES (n.s.), 2, 1990, pp. 144-146.
• The TST: Down for the Count. JOURNAL OF UFO STUDIES (n.s.), 2, 1990, pp. 166-168.

Other Critical Works

• Mauge, C. "Persinger's Tectonic Strain Theory: Strengths and Weaknesses". MAGONIA, no. 24, November 1986, pp. 13-18.
• Campbell, S. "Lights of Fancy". PROBE REPORT, 3 (4), April, 1983.
• Campbell, S. "UFO Data [letter]". NEW SCIENTIST, September 15, 1983, p. 799.
• Campbell, S. "UFOS and Faults [letter]". NEW SCIENTIST, October 20, 1983, p. 217.