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Temporal patterns of extremely low frequency magnetic field-induced motor behavior changes in Mongolian gerbils of different age

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Janać B, Selaković V, Rauš S, Radenović L, Zrnić M, Prolić Z. · 2012

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Exposure to ELF-MF altered motor behavior in Mongolian gerbils differently depending on age and field strength.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers investigated how extremely low frequency magnetic fields affected locomotion, stereotypy, and immobility in 3- and 10-month-old male Mongolian gerbils. The animals were continuously exposed to ELF-MF for seven days. In the younger gerbils, all three field strengths increased locomotion and stereotypy and decreased immobility. In the older gerbils, the lowest field strength decreased motor behavior, the middle strength produced a slight increase, and the highest strength produced a pronounced stimulation.

Why This Matters

Behavior was monitored for 60 minutes in an open field after the 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 7th day of exposure, and again three days after exposure ended. In the younger gerbils, ELF-MF also had a delayed effect on stereotypy and immobility, except at 0.25 mT. In the older gerbils, increased motor behavior was observed three days after exposure ended, regardless of the field strength used. The researchers proposed that age-dependent differences in brain structures responsible for motor control may explain the specific temporal patterns of ELF-MF-induced motor behavior changes in 3- and 10-month-old gerbils.

Exposure Details

Magnetic Field
0.1, 0.25 and 0.5 mT
Source/Device
50 Hz
Exposure Duration
seven days

Exposure Context

This study used 0.1, 0.25 and 0.5 mT for magnetic fields:

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 Exposure Level in ContextStudy Exposure Level in ContextThis study: 0.1, 0.25 and 0.5 mTExtreme Concern - 5 mGFCC Limit - 2,000 mGEffects observed in the Extreme Concern range (Building Biology)FCC limit is 2 times higher than this level
A logarithmic frequency spectrum from 10 Hz to 100 GHz showing where this study's 50 Hz exposure sits relative to common EMF sources.Where This Frequency Sits on the EMF SpectrumELFVLFLF / MFHF / VHFUHFSHFmm10 Hz100 GHzThis study: 50 HzCell phones~1 GHzWiFi2.4 GHz5G mm28 GHzLogarithmic scale

Study Details

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of extremely low frequency magnetic field (ELF-MF) on different behavior parameters (locomotion, stereotypy, and immobility) in 3- and 10-month-old male Mongolian gerbils.

The animals were continuously exposed to ELF-MF (50 Hz; 0.1, 0.25 and 0.5 mT) for seven days. Their ...

In 3-month-old gerbils, exposure to ELF-MF (0.1, 0.25 and 0.5 mT) increased motor behavior (locomot...

It can be proposed that the specific temporal patterns of ELF-MF-induced motor behavior changes in 3- and 10-month-old gerbils are a consequence of age-dependent morpho-functional differences in the brain structures responsible for a control of motor behavior.

Cite This Study
Janać B, Selaković V, Rauš S, Radenović L, Zrnić M, Prolić Z. (2012). Temporal patterns of extremely low frequency magnetic field-induced motor behavior changes in Mongolian gerbils of different age Int J Radiat Biol. 88(4):359-366, 2012.
Show BibTeX
@article{b_2012_temporal_patterns_of_extremely_264,
  author = {Janać B and Selaković V and Rauš S and Radenović L and Zrnić M and Prolić Z. },
  title = {Temporal patterns of extremely low frequency magnetic field-induced motor behavior changes in Mongolian gerbils of different age},
  year = {2012},
  doi = {10.3109/09553002.2012.652725},
  url = {https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3109/09553002.2012.652725},
}
DOI: 10.3109/09553002.2012.652725

Cited By (15 papers)

View all 15 citing papers on Semantic Scholar

Quick Questions About This Study

The study examined locomotion, stereotypy, and immobility in the gerbils.
In the 3-month-old gerbils, all tested field strengths increased locomotion and stereotypy and decreased immobility.
In the older gerbils, increased motor behavior was observed three days after exposure ended, regardless of the field strength. In the younger gerbils, a delayed effect on stereotypy and immobility was also seen, except at 0.25 mT.
All field strengths increased motor behavior in 3-month-old gerbils, while in 10-month-old gerbils the lowest strength decreased motor behavior and only the highest produced pronounced stimulation.
The researchers proposed that age-dependent morpho-functional differences in brain structures responsible for motor control may explain the specific temporal patterns observed.