EFFECT OF ARTIFICIAL AND HUMAN EXTERNAL QIGONG ON ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAMS IN RABBIT AND SPONTANEOUS ELECTRICAL-ACTIVITY OF THE RAT PINEAL-GLAND

External qigong emitted by a quartz crystal upon application of electr ic current was evaluated by its biological effects, such as changes in frequency-analyzed electroencephalograms (EEG) in rabbits and spontan eous electrical activity of the rat pineal gland. Physical properties of this external qigong cannot be evaluated by currently available phy sical means. Three types of EEG changes were produced depending on the intensity of current applied to the crystal. These changes correspond ed fairly well to the dose-dependent EEG changes after intravenous adm inistration of 5-hydroxytryptophan. A qigong-containing medal also pro duced similar EEG changes depending on threshold to qigong. Human qigo ng similarly influenced EEG. All EEG changes disappeared after pineale ctomy or after application of methysergide (10 mg/kg), a serotonin ant agonist. The rate of spontaneous electrical activity of the pineal gla nd was depressed by reorientation of the rat to the north or to the so uth, by qigong emitted by a quartz crystal, or by application of a qig ong-containing medal. Human qigong also depressed this electrical acti vity. The EEG changes produced by external qigong might be caused by i ncreased serotonin concentration in the pineal gland, since the pineal gland is responsive to qigong as well as the earth's magnetic field, which is known to inhibit N-acetyltransferase by increasing serotonin concentration in the pineal gland. Hence, the finding that current-int ensity-dependent EEG changes induced by quartz crystal-emitted qigong were analogous to dose-dependent EEG changes produced by 5-hydroxytryp tophan might be attributed to increased serotonin levels by current-in tensity-dependent inhibition of N-acetyltransferase by external qigong .