Effect of Electroanesthesia on Timing Behavior
Arthur S. Wilson, Anthony Sances Jr., Sanford J. Larson · 1968
Early research showed electrical fields could disrupt timing behavior in monkeys, demonstrating EMF's ability to alter brain function.
Plain English Summary
This 1968 study examined how electroanesthesia (electrical current used for anesthesia) affected timing behavior in squirrel monkeys. Researchers investigated whether electrical stimulation altered the animals' ability to perform time-based tasks. The research provides early evidence that electrical fields can influence brain function and behavior.
Why This Matters
This pioneering research from 1968 demonstrates that electrical fields can directly alter brain function and behavior, specifically affecting animals' ability to judge time accurately. While electroanesthesia uses much stronger currents than everyday EMF exposure, the study establishes a fundamental principle: electrical fields can modify neural processing in measurable ways. The timing behaviors studied here involve complex brain networks that coordinate attention, memory, and motor control. What this means for you is that if strong electrical fields can disrupt these sophisticated brain functions in laboratory animals, it raises legitimate questions about whether chronic exposure to weaker fields from our devices might subtly affect similar cognitive processes over time. The science demonstrates that electrical stimulation isn't just about heating tissue or causing immediate effects - it can alter the very mechanisms our brains use to process information and coordinate behavior.
Figures from the Original Paper
Diagrams extracted from the original research document.
Exposure Information
Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study. Duration: 30 minutes/day for 12 days (total of 5.5-6 hours)
Study Details
to examine the consequences of repeated applications of EA current on time estimation learning in squirrel monkeys
Twelve adult squirrel monkeys, Saimiri sciureus, were trained in two stages to obtain food reinforce...
The stage I training procedure produced similar lever-pressing responses in all animals. A chi-squar...
Timing is being learned by both anesthetized and nonanesthetized groups. This is supported by the latency of response data which indicate that all the groups learned not to respond immediately after a pellet was delivered. The learning efficiency measure, as expressed in response ratios, further points to the similarities in the timing behavior of all groups. The experiment has some bearing on the effects of repeated doses of EA on behavior. The term of exposure to EA was 11 to 12 days, with a dose duration of 30 minutes/day, producing a total of between 5.5 and 6 hours of EA. As the results indicate, there is no apparent retardation or breakdown in learning this type of timing behavior under the forms of anesthesia applied.
Show BibTeX
@article{effect_of_electroanesthesia_on_timing_behavior_g5705,
author = {Arthur S. Wilson and Anthony Sances Jr. and Sanford J. Larson},
title = {Effect of Electroanesthesia on Timing Behavior},
year = {1968},
}