Summary:
A pilot clinical trial led by the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai shows that an at-home, non-invasive magnetic headset significantly improves cognitive performance and emotional well-being in adults suffering from long COVID “brain fog.”
Published in Brain Communications, the triple-blind, sham-controlled study found that twice-weekly sessions of Microtesla Magnetic Therapy (MMT) enhanced working memory, processing speed, and verbal learning, with therapeutic benefits persisting a full month after treatment ended.
Key Facts:
- Targeted Brain Stimulation: Participants self-administered 15-minute sessions twice weekly for four weeks using an investigational headset delivering nonthermal radio-frequency low-amplitude magnetic fields (MMT) to the whole brain.
- Measurable Cognitive & Mood Gains: Active treatment produced significant gains in working memory, processing speed, verbal learning, and self-reported emotional well-being compared to an identical sham device.
- Durable Aftereffects: Cognitive improvements continued between the end of the four-week treatment window and the eight-week follow-up assessment, indicating lasting neuroplastic or anti-inflammatory changes.
Source: Mount Sinai Health System
Among the constellation of symptoms defining post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC), commonly termed long COVID, cognitive dysfunction remains among the most debilitating. Millions of individuals describe a persistent “brain fog” characterized by slowed processing speed, executive dysfunction, working memory lapses, and attention deficits that derail employment and daily life.
Emerging neuropathological evidence indicates that long COVID cognitive deficits stem from a combination of sustained neuroinflammation, microvascular endotheliopathy, and mitochondrial metabolic exhaustion within neural tissue. Yet, despite the vast global disease burden, clinically validated therapeutic interventions remain exceedingly rare.
In a randomized, triple-blind pilot trial published in Brain Communications, investigators from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai evaluated whether biophysical neuromodulation could counter these entrenched post-viral neurological symptoms.
The researchers tested Microtesla Magnetic Therapy (MMT), a proprietary, non-invasive technology developed by clinical-stage biophysics company Fareon® that delivers low-amplitude, nonthermal radio-frequency magnetic fields across the cortex.
“Cognitive symptoms are among the most persistent and disabling manifestations of long COVID, yet evidence-based treatment options have been sparse,” said co-senior author Jacqueline Becker, Ph.D., clinical neuropsychologist and assistant professor of medicine at Icahn Mount Sinai.
“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.”
Triple-Blind, At-Home Intervention
The clinical trial enrolled 30 adults with objectively documented post-COVID cognitive impairment. Participants were randomized 2:1 to receive either active MMT or an indistinguishable sham treatment that looked, sounded, and operated identically.
Subjects wore the headset at home for 15 minutes twice a week over a four-week period, monitored remotely by Mount Sinai clinical trial coordinators. The investigators assessed cognitive performance, mood, and quality-of-life metrics at baseline, at week four (conclusion of the intervention), and at week eight (four-week post-treatment follow-up).
The home-administered protocol proved safe, feasible, and well tolerated, with participants exceeding the 80% protocol completion threshold without significant device-related adverse events.
Patients receiving active MMT demonstrated marked improvements in objective neuropsychological endpoints, including:
- Working Memory: Enhanced capacity to retain and manipulate information over short intervals.
- Processing Speed: Increased cognitive reaction time and task execution speed.
- Verbal Learning: Stronger retention and recall during verbal memory tasks.
- Emotional Well-Being: Reductions in mood disturbance and gains in self-reported daily quality of life.
Lasting Neuroplastic Improvements Beyond Treatment
Critically, the therapeutic gains did not diminish when patients took off the headset at the end of week four. During the subsequent four-week washout observation period, participants in the active cohort exhibited continued cognitive and mood improvements through week eight.
While the primary mechanisms remain under investigation, preclinical models of MMT indicate that low-amplitude magnetic oscillations can suppress chronic neuroinflammation, downregulate reactive microglial activation, and support mitochondrial bioenergetics, biological pathways known to be compromised in post-viral encephalopathies.
“According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, roughly 7 percent 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,” said co-senior author David Putrino, Ph.D., Nash Family Director of the Cohen Center for Recovery From Complex Chronic Illness at Icahn Mount Sinai.
“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.”
The researchers emphasize that while these initial pilot results are promising, MMT remains an investigational therapy that requires verification in larger multicenter cohorts to determine optimal dosage schedules, long-term durability, and the exact biological mechanisms restoring network function.
Editorial Notes:
- This article was edited by a Neuroscience News editor.
- Journal paper reviewed in full.
- Additional context added by our staff.
About this neurotech and long COVID Research:
- Media Contact: Elizabeth Dowling
- Source: Mount Sinai Hospital
- Image Credit: Image credited to Neuroscience News
- Original Research is Open Access: Brain Communications (Sept 22, 2026). “Microtesla magnetic therapy for cognitive impairment in long COVID: a randomized pilot study.” Authors: Alexandra Canori, PhD , Eric Watson, PhD , Devanshi Patel, MA , Arianna Fiorentino, MSc , Christopher Santiago, BS , David Maltz, MSE , Blake Gurfein, PhD , David Putrino, PhD , Jacqueline Becker, PhD.
- DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcag364
Abstract
Microtesla magnetic therapy for cognitive impairment in long COVID: a randomized pilot study
Cognitive impairment is common in post-acute sequelae of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection (long COVID) and substantially affects function and quality of life. Evidence suggests that sustained neuroinflammation, cerebrovascular dysfunction, and mitochondrial impairment contribute to cognitive symptoms.
Microtesla Magnetic Therapy (MMT) is a transcranial, low-amplitude radiofrequency magnetic field intervention that has shown anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects in preclinical models, suggesting potential value in long COVID and other neurological disorders.
This is the first randomized controlled trial of MMT for long COVID cognitive impairment.
