Piezoelectricity in the Human Body – 7 Examples

There is piezoelectricity in the human body, making pressure signals turn into electrical signals. In many ways this is a main source of biofeedback in the body. For example, impact on bones is transformed to an electrical signal that triggers fortification of bone material. We will see 7 examples like this here, and it will help you to tap into the body’s innate biofeedback mechanisms, which are usually ignored.

In researching this I found some cool new research on piezoelectric generators that work in tandem with the human body. I will save it for the end, so first let’s see what piezoelectricity we naturally have within us. Then we’ll see how little devices can harvest the energy normally wasted as heat losses and repurpose it.

What is Piezoelectricity in the Body?

Piezoelectricity is the ability for a crystal to store energy by nature of the tension in the lattice. The basic illustration is, as the crystal has a pressure exerted on it, the planes deform to allow higher conductivity than otherwise. Then the latent electrons will flow and cause a current or spark.

In the body everything is locked up in the tissues, this is like a dielectric. Imagine a PCB board for a circuit (the usually green plastic thing that everything’s sautered onto). The body is like a 3D circuit board, and the tissues bind in swirly nonhomogenous ways. With these tissues we do have evidence of crystals that are normally considered piezoelectric, and we also know there is a constant pressurized conditions in some parts of the body. The spinal cord and the brain for example has a high pressure compared with outside the body or even in other parts of the body.

For many of these examples, we only truly have hunches that the piezoelectric effect plays a role in their function. The in vivo studies are difficult to perform, partially ebcause of the pressure. And even in isolated organs, the crystals are in fine powders, shingles, and the experimentation thus far often centifuges the forms so we don’t know uch of the gemetry.

Additionally, I have written at this point in time about many of the examples of piezoelectrictiy in the body on this list. Each time I put another article there is an even more complete list of sources from which I refer to the studies.

1. Pineal Gland

Of the piezoelectricity in the human body that is involved with the translation of sensory signals, we start with the maybe most mysterious organ. There are piezoelectric calcite crystals in the pineal gland, but there is not exact data as to what all the purposes the signals serve are.

In the pineal gland, light is collected by a variety of receptors, one of which melanopsin. Melanopsin is known as a non-image forming vision receptor. That is, it behaves like other vision receptors, but is not involved in the image formation like the rods and cones in the retina are. The piezoelectricity in the pineal gland takes the electrical signal from light incoming through the eyes (and possibly the surrounding skin as well), and translates it into pressure in which the crystals deform. These deformations trigger processes that synthesize hormones, like melatonin, in the pineal gland.

Piezoelectricity works two ways. It either turns pressure into electricity, or electricity into pressure. In the pineal gland as well as in the other sensory organs we are about to discuss, the electricity turns to pressure. The pressure causes crystal deformations, and those deformations automatically promote the functions of the organs. This is generally called the inverse piezoelectric effect, whereas the direct piezoelectric effect is electricity resulting from pressure.

Here is my article on piezoelectricity in the pineal gland.

2. Inner Ear

Piezoelectricity in the inner ear takes place mainly in the cochlea. That is, the desired, innate piezoelectric functions. Often people have some loose ear crystals that ends up floating around over time. This can cause vertigo from head injuries, but there are a number of other causes and symptoms if it is progressed.

The piezoelectric crystals in the cochlea of the ear are called otoconia. The otocoia take in pressure signals from acoustic airwaves (i.e. SOUND) and transforms it to electrical signals. The electrical signals are read by the brain to be interpreted as sound, voice, music.

Here is my article deeper into the calcite in the inner ear.

3. Bones are a Piezoelectric Apatite-Collagen Matrix

Bones consist of hydroxyapatite and collagen fibers. Hydroxyapatite has piezoelectric properties. While there are many variations of hydroxyapatite, the general chemical formula is Ca₁₀(PO₄)₆(OH)₂. The strands of hydroxyapatite swirl around the triple-helical collagen molecules. By weight, hydroxyapatite is about 40% calcium and 18% phosphorus, while the rest is made from the hydroxyl ion.

The piezoelectric effect in bone is demonstrated by the way bone reacts to pressure. When the bone experiences a force, such as up the legs while running, the pressure causes an electrical signal. The electrical signal in the bone triggers fortification of the matrix, by adding more calcium. The highly ordered structure of the hydroxyapatite-collagen matrix allows the signal to be transmitted through the bones, and the resulting current is an example of biofeedback in the body.

4. Teeth – Crunching on Currents

Dentin makes up the teeth under the enamel. Dentin is a composite of tube-like molecules, embedded in a matrix of apatite and collagen. This is very similar to the matrix that bone is made of.

A good example of piezoelectricity in dentin is the teeth’s interaction with sugar, which is also piezoelectric. Of course sugar degrades enamel over time as teeth are exposed to it. The degradation is separate from the piezoelectric effect, which occurs whenever your teeth crunch sugar, such as hard candies. The pressure creates a small electric current, and more so than crunching non-sugary snacks like chips.

5. Spinal Fluid

We also find evidence of possible piezoelectricity in spinal cord fluid. In 1935 Norwegian scientists dried out spinal cord fluid and found it precipitated into orderly, fractal-like structures. This indicates that the fluid in the spinal cord does have crystalline properties.

Here is a newer study looking at how the piezoelectric properties in the spinal cord provides a route to healing modalities for conditions such as lower back pain due to traumatic injuries. It is postulated that the collagen networks throughout the spinal cord contribute to the piezoelectric properties therein, transducing signal to other suspended components.

Here is my article about crystals in the body that includes more on the bone, teeth, and spinal fluid.

6. Magnetite in the brain

Magnetite is present in the brain both as an endogenous, naturally occurring crystal and also as a byproduct of polluted environments. In the brain, this magnetic crystal has a function that is still unknown. Magnetite is piezoelectric to some extent, but mainly it exhibits the sister of piezoelectricity, piezomagnetism. Now magnetic fields and electric fields are always coupled, but in the case of magnetite the magnetic field is much stronger, induced in response to pressure.

The forces on magnetite in the brain are much smaller and subtle than the forces on bone or teeth. In fact, magnetite in the brain can also respond to magnetic fields if strong enough, causing shifts in the crystal planes that may lead to changes in hormone production.

Here is my article all about magnetite crystals in the brain.

7. Fascia – Elastic Piezoelectric Crystals

Collagen, which is present in bone and teeth as well, is a transducer of mechanical and electrical energy. You may also know collagen is present in the skin, and of course skin transmits all kinds of signals of the sense of touch for us.

Now in fascia, just like in skin, the electrical impulses trigger a cascade of events that adapt the body to whatever external stresses it experiences. Polarity changes of the extracellular fluid affects the motion of the fascia. The polarity changes amount to an electric flux – enough to have localized currents. These currents going from outside the fascia to the surface are the causes of piezoelectricity in the fascia.

A study also found that fascia’s collagen rich proteins produce a “second harmonic.” This basically means there is a combination of both symmetry and asymmetry in the structure on very small scales, producing complex signals. The range of the order is fascia systems is on the nano-scale. Every time one stretches, the stretch of the fascia causes an electric field. Again, this is tuned to the size of the structures, and the resulting frequencies help the fascia heal or fortify.

This is a very good review that seems to integrate a number of other reviews published over the past 20 years, if you’d like to learn more.

Can you Perceive the Piezoelectricity in the Human Body?

In all of these body parts, the piezoelectric effect exists, seemingly, in order to help maintain order and balance in the body. Naturally, it would appear we are built to always be in communication with the electric fields, as we move about and come into contact with physical pressure in life.

New Sources:

All the older sources are referenced in the blogs linked of the respective sections. The new ones are relating to fascia:

O’Connell, Judith A. “Bioelectric responsiveness of fascia: a model for understanding the effects of manipulation.” Techniques in Orthopaedics 18.1 (2003): 67-73.

Rivard, M., Laliberté, M., Bertrand-Grenier, A., Harnagea, C., Pfeffer, C. P., Vallières, M., … & Légaré, F. (2011). The structural origin of second harmonic generation in fascia. Biomedical optics express, 2(1), 26-36.