Effects of pre- and postnatal exposure to extremely low-frequency electric fields on mismatch negativity component of the auditory event-related potentials: Relation to oxidative stress.
Akpınar D, Gok DK, Hidisoglu E, Aslan M, Ozen S, Agar A, Yargicoglu P · 2016
View Original AbstractElectric field exposure during pregnancy and early life impaired brain function in rats at levels comparable to living near power lines.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed pregnant rats and their offspring to power line-frequency electric fields, then tested brain function. EMF exposure significantly impaired the brain's ability to detect sound changes, a skill essential for learning and attention, with damage linked to cellular oxidative stress.
Why This Matters
This study reveals concerning evidence that the electric fields we encounter daily from power infrastructure can disrupt critical brain development processes. The 12 kV/m exposure level used here is actually within the range of what people living near high-voltage power lines experience regularly. What makes this research particularly significant is its focus on developmental exposure - showing that EMF effects during pregnancy and early life may be more severe than adult exposure alone. The researchers documented both functional brain impairment (reduced ability to process auditory information) and the underlying cellular damage (oxidative stress) that appears to cause it. This adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting that our current safety standards, which ignore non-thermal biological effects, may be inadequate to protect developing brains during these critical windows of vulnerability.
Exposure Details
- Electric Field
- 12000 V/m
- Source/Device
- 50 Hz
- Exposure Duration
- 1 h/day
Exposure Context
This study used 12000 V/m for electric fields:
- 40Kx above the Building Biology guideline of 0.3 V/m
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.
Study Details
our present study aimed to investigate MMN and oxidative brain damage in rats exposed to EF (12 kV/m, 1 h/day).
Rats were divided into four groups, namely control (C), prenatal (Pr), postnatal (Po), and prenatal+...
The MMN amplitude was higher to deviant tones than to standard tones. It was decreased in all experi...
Show BibTeX
@article{d_2016_effects_of_pre_and_318,
author = {Akpınar D and Gok DK and Hidisoglu E and Aslan M and Ozen S and Agar A and Yargicoglu P},
title = {Effects of pre- and postnatal exposure to extremely low-frequency electric fields on mismatch negativity component of the auditory event-related potentials: Relation to oxidative stress.},
year = {2016},
doi = {10.3109/15368378.2015.1076727},
url = {https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3109/15368378.2015.1076727},
}