Effect of continuous exposure to alternating magnetic field (50 Hz, 0.5 mT) on serotonin and dopamine receptors activity in rat brain.
Janać B, Tovilović G, Tomić M, Prolić Z, Radenović L. · 2009
View Original AbstractMagnetic field exposure at household appliance levels altered brain chemistry in rats, with effects intensifying over longer exposure periods.
Plain English Summary
Serbian researchers exposed rats to power line frequency magnetic fields (50 Hz) for up to seven days. The exposure significantly altered serotonin brain receptors that control mood and behavior, with effects becoming stronger over longer exposure periods. This suggests household electrical fields may impact brain chemistry.
Why This Matters
This study provides compelling evidence that magnetic field exposure at levels found in our everyday environment can alter fundamental brain chemistry. The 0.5 mT exposure used here is comparable to what you might encounter near household appliances, power lines, or electrical equipment - making these findings directly relevant to daily life. What makes this research particularly significant is that it demonstrates duration-dependent effects, meaning longer exposure periods produced more pronounced changes in brain receptor activity. The fact that these changes occurred in the prefrontal cortex, our brain's executive control center, raises important questions about how chronic EMF exposure might affect cognitive function and behavior. While this was an animal study, the biological mechanisms involved are similar in humans, suggesting we should take these neurological effects seriously when considering our cumulative EMF exposure.
Exposure Details
- Magnetic Field
- 0.5 mG
- Source/Device
- 50 Hz
- Exposure Duration
- 1, 3, and 7 days
Exposure Context
This study used 0.5 mG for magnetic fields:
- 25Kx above the Building Biology guideline of 0.2 mG
- 5Kx above the BioInitiative Report recommendation of 1 mG
Building Biology guidelines are practitioner-based limits from real-world assessments. BioInitiative Report recommendations are based on peer-reviewed science. Check Your Exposure to compare your own measurements.
Where This Falls on the Concern Scale
Study Details
Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine MF-induced changes in the activity of serotonin 5-HT(2A) receptors in the prefrontal cortex, as well as dopamine D(1) and D(2) receptors in the striatum of adult Wistar rats, considering their involvement in motor behavior regulation.
Experimental animals were continuously exposed to extremely low frequency MF (ELF-MF, 50 Hz, 0.5 mT)...
It was shown that the affinity of serotonin 5-HT(2A) receptors decreased and their density increased...
We can conclude that continuous exposure to ELF-MF up to 7 days affects cortical serotonergic neurotransmission, whereby intensity of these changes depends on ELF-MF exposure duration.
Show BibTeX
@article{b_2009_effect_of_continuous_exposure_657,
author = {Janać B and Tovilović G and Tomić M and Prolić Z and Radenović L.},
title = {Effect of continuous exposure to alternating magnetic field (50 Hz, 0.5 mT) on serotonin and dopamine receptors activity in rat brain.},
year = {2009},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19893078/},
}