Effects of two different waveforms of ELF MFs on bioelectrical activity of antennal lobe neurons of Morimus funereus (Insecta, Coleoptera).
Todorović D, Prolić Z, Petković B, Kalauzi A. · 2015
View Original AbstractBeetle brain neurons responded differently to square wave versus sine wave magnetic fields, showing that EMF waveform shape affects biological systems.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed longhorn beetles to 50 Hz magnetic fields (the same frequency as power lines) and measured how their brain neurons responded. They found that square wave magnetic fields caused measurable changes in neural activity after 10-15 minutes of exposure, while sine wave fields did not. This demonstrates that even insects show biological responses to power-frequency magnetic fields, and that the waveform shape matters for biological effects.
Why This Matters
This study adds to the growing body of evidence that living organisms respond to extremely low frequency magnetic fields at the cellular level. What makes this research particularly significant is the demonstration that waveform characteristics matter - square wave fields produced neural changes while sine wave fields at the same frequency and intensity did not. The 2 mT exposure level used here is quite high compared to typical household exposures (which range from 0.01 to 0.2 mT), but the findings support the broader principle that biological systems can detect and respond to artificial magnetic fields. While insect studies don't directly translate to human health effects, they provide valuable controlled evidence that EMF can influence nervous system function in living organisms.
Exposure Details
- Magnetic Field
- 2 mG
- Source/Device
- 50 Hz
- Exposure Duration
- 5, 10 and 15 min
Exposure Context
This study used 2 mG for magnetic fields:
- 100Kx above the Building Biology guideline of 0.2 mG
- 20Kx 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
Bioelectrical activity of antennal lobe neurons of adult Morimus funereus was analyzed under the influence of extremely low frequency MF (ELF MF, 50 Hz, 2 mT) of different characteristics (exposure duration and waveform).
Neuronal activity (background/neuronal population and those nearest to the recording electrode) in a...
The sine wave MF, regardless of the exposure duration, did not change the reversibility factor of an...
M. funereus individuals are sensitive to both sine wave and square wave ELF MF (50 Hz, 2 mT) of different duration, whereby their reactions depend on the characteristics of the applied MF and specificity of each individual.
Show BibTeX
@article{d_2015_effects_of_two_different_724,
author = {Todorović D and Prolić Z and Petković B and Kalauzi A.},
title = {Effects of two different waveforms of ELF MFs on bioelectrical activity of antennal lobe neurons of Morimus funereus (Insecta, Coleoptera).},
year = {2015},
doi = {10.3109/09553002.2015.1004467},
url = {https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3109/09553002.2015.1004467},
}