A comparative study on influences of static electric field and power frequency electric field on cognition in mice.
Di G, Kim H, Xu Y, Kim J, Gu X. · 2019
View Original AbstractPower frequency electric fields enhanced mouse memory at 35,000 V/m while static fields showed no effect, highlighting frequency's role in bioeffects.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed mice to extremely strong electric fields (35,000 volts per meter) for 49 days to compare how static fields versus power frequency fields affect learning and memory. They found that static electric fields had no effect on cognitive ability, while power frequency electric fields actually improved the mice's performance on memory tests after 33 days of exposure.
Why This Matters
This study reveals an intriguing difference between how static and alternating electric fields interact with biological systems, even at identical field strengths. The 35 kV/m exposure level used here is extraordinarily high compared to typical environmental exposures, which rarely exceed a few hundred volts per meter near power lines. What makes this research particularly noteworthy is the finding that power frequency fields enhanced cognitive performance rather than impairing it. The researchers suggest this occurs because alternating fields create more molecular movement and ion migration in brain tissue compared to static fields. While these results don't directly translate to everyday EMF exposures, they demonstrate that frequency characteristics matter as much as field strength when assessing biological effects. This adds another layer of complexity to EMF research and reinforces why we can't simply assume all electromagnetic exposures are equivalent.
Exposure Details
- Electric Field
- 35000 V/m
- Exposure Duration
- 49 days
Exposure Context
This study used 35000 V/m for electric fields:
- 116.7Kx 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
This study aimed to investigate the effects of static electric field (SEF) and power frequency electric field (PFEF) on cognition.
Mice were exposed to SEF and PFEF with the same strength (35 kV/m) for 49 days, respectively. Behavi...
Results indicated that the exposure of 35 kV/m SEF would not cause significant influences on learnin...
This difference in effects from SEF and PFEF on cognition was possibly induced by the difference in the degree of molecular polarization and ion migration in organisms under exposure of two kinds of electric fields with different frequency.
Show BibTeX
@article{g_2019_a_comparative_study_on_632,
author = {Di G and Kim H and Xu Y and Kim J and Gu X.},
title = {A comparative study on influences of static electric field and power frequency electric field on cognition in mice.},
year = {2019},
url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1382668919300018},
}