Neuroprotective effects of extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields on a Huntington's disease rat model: effects on neurotrophic factors and neuronal density.
Tasset I, Medina FJ, Jimena I, Agüera E, Gascón F, Feijóo M, Sánchez-López F, Luque E, Peña J, Drucker-Colín R, Túnez I. · 2012
View Original AbstractControlled 60 Hz electromagnetic fields at 0.7 milliTesla protected brain cells and reduced neuronal death in rats with Huntington's disease.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed rats with a Huntington's disease-like condition to 60 Hz electromagnetic fields at 0.7 milliTesla (similar to standing very close to power lines) for 4 hours daily over 21 days. The electromagnetic field exposure significantly protected brain cells from damage, reduced harmful oxidative stress, and preserved neurons that would otherwise die from the disease. This suggests that certain types of electromagnetic fields might have therapeutic potential for neurodegenerative diseases.
Why This Matters
This study challenges the common assumption that all electromagnetic field exposure is harmful by demonstrating clear neuroprotective effects in a well-established disease model. The 0.7 milliTesla exposure level is substantially higher than typical household EMF (which ranges from 0.01 to 0.2 milliTesla), yet the researchers found it beneficial rather than harmful. What makes this research particularly significant is that it used an established model of neurodegeneration and measured multiple biological markers, showing consistent protective effects across behavioral, cellular, and molecular measures. The reality is that EMF effects are highly dependent on frequency, intensity, duration, and biological context. While this doesn't mean you should seek out high EMF exposure, it does illustrate that the relationship between electromagnetic fields and health is far more complex than simple 'good versus bad' narratives suggest.
Exposure Details
- Magnetic Field
- 0.7 mG
- Source/Device
- 60 Hz
- Exposure Duration
- 2 x 2 h/day ( in the morning and in the afternoon) for 21 days
Exposure Context
This study used 0.7 mG for magnetic fields:
- 35Kx above the Building Biology guideline of 0.2 mG
- 7Kx 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
This study was undertaken to investigate the neuroprotective effects of ELFEF in a rat model of 3-nitropropionic acid (3NP)-induced Huntington's disease.
Behavior patterns were evaluated, and changes in neurotrophic factor, cell damage, and oxidative str...
Rats treated with 3NP exhibited significantly different behavior in the open field test (OFT) and th...
Show BibTeX
@article{i_2012_neuroprotective_effects_of_extremely_306,
author = {Tasset I and Medina FJ and Jimena I and Agüera E and Gascón F and Feijóo M and Sánchez-López F and Luque E and Peña J and Drucker-Colín R and Túnez I.},
title = {Neuroprotective effects of extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields on a Huntington's disease rat model: effects on neurotrophic factors and neuronal density.},
year = {2012},
url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0306452212001777},
}