Involvement of NMDA receptor in low-frequency magnetic field-induced anxiety in mice.
Salunke BP, Umathe SN, Chavan JG. · 2016
View Original AbstractPower-frequency magnetic fields caused anxiety in mice by disrupting brain chemistry, suggesting long-term EMF exposure may affect neurological function.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed mice to 50 Hz magnetic fields (the same frequency as power lines) for up to 120 days and found it caused significant anxiety-like behavior. The study identified that these fields disrupt brain chemistry by affecting NMDA receptors and increasing glutamate levels in key brain regions. This suggests that long-term exposure to power-frequency magnetic fields can alter brain function and behavior.
Why This Matters
This research provides compelling evidence that extremely low frequency magnetic fields - the type generated by power lines and household wiring - can fundamentally alter brain chemistry and behavior. The 10 Gauss exposure level used in this study is higher than typical household exposures (which range from 0.5 to 4 milligauss), but it's well within levels found near power lines or in some occupational settings. What makes this study particularly significant is its demonstration of a clear biological mechanism: EMF exposure disrupts the delicate balance of neurotransmitters in critical brain regions like the hippocampus, which governs memory and emotional regulation. The fact that anxiety increased progressively over 120 days of exposure suggests cumulative effects that mirror what many people report living near power infrastructure. While we can't directly extrapolate mouse studies to humans, this research adds to a growing body of evidence that EMF exposure affects neurological function through measurable biochemical pathways.
Exposure Details
- Magnetic Field
- 1 mG
- Source/Device
- 50 Hz
- Exposure Duration
- 8h/day for 7, 30, 60, 90 and 120 days
Exposure Context
This study used 1 mG for magnetic fields:
- 50Kx above the Building Biology guideline of 0.2 mG
- 10Kx 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
The present study was carried out to understand the contribution of NMDA and/or GABA receptors modulation in ELFMF-induced anxiety for which Swiss albino mice were exposed to ELFMF (50 Hz, 10 G) by subjecting them to Helmholtz coils.
The exposure was for 8 h/day for 7, 30, 60, 90 and 120 days. Anxiety level was assessed in elevated ...
Experiments demonstrated significant elevation of GABA and glutamate levels in the hippocampus and h...
Together, these findings suggest that ELFMF significantly induced anxiety behavior, and indicated the involvement of NMDA receptor in its effect.
Show BibTeX
@article{bp_2016_involvement_of_nmda_receptor_703,
author = {Salunke BP and Umathe SN and Chavan JG.},
title = {Involvement of NMDA receptor in low-frequency magnetic field-induced anxiety in mice.},
year = {2016},
doi = {10.3109/15368378.2013.839453},
url = {https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3109/15368378.2013.839453},
}