Extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields activate the antioxidant pathway Nrf2 in a Huntington's disease-like rat model.
Tasset I, Pérez-Herrera A, Medina FJ, Arias-Carrión O, Drucker-Colín R, Túnez I. · 2013
View Original AbstractTMS electromagnetic fields activated protective brain pathways in diseased rats, suggesting some EMF exposures may be therapeutic rather than harmful.
Plain English Summary
Researchers studied rats with a Huntington's disease-like condition and found that transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) activated protective cellular pathways that help defend against brain damage. Specifically, TMS increased levels of Nrf2, a protein that triggers the body's antioxidant defense system. This suggests that certain types of electromagnetic field exposure might actually help protect brain cells from damage in neurodegenerative diseases.
Why This Matters
This study presents an intriguing counterpoint to the typical narrative around EMF health effects. While most research focuses on potential harm from electromagnetic fields, this work demonstrates that specific types of EMF exposure - in this case, transcranial magnetic stimulation - can actually trigger protective cellular responses. The activation of the Nrf2 pathway is particularly significant because this system represents one of the body's primary defenses against oxidative stress and cellular damage. What this means for you is that the EMF story isn't simply black and white. The science demonstrates that different types of electromagnetic fields can have vastly different biological effects, and some may even be beneficial under certain circumstances. However, it's crucial to understand that TMS involves very specific, controlled electromagnetic field parameters that differ dramatically from the random, continuous exposures we face from wireless devices and power lines in our daily environment.
Exposure Information
Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study.
Study Details
This study shows that TMS can modulate the Nrf2 transcriptor factor in a Huntington's disease-like rat model induced by 3-nitropropionic acid (3-NP).
Western blot analysis demonstrated that 3-NP caused a reduction in Nrf2 in both cytoplasm and nucleu...
It was therefore concluded that TMS modulates Nrf2 expression and translocation and that these mechanisms may partly explain the neuroprotective effect of TMS, as well as its antioxidant and cell protection capacity.
Show BibTeX
@article{i_2013_extremely_lowfrequency_electromagnetic_fields_1577,
author = {Tasset I and Pérez-Herrera A and Medina FJ and Arias-Carrión O and Drucker-Colín R and Túnez I.},
title = {Extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields activate the antioxidant pathway Nrf2 in a Huntington's disease-like rat model.},
year = {2013},
url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1935861X12000381},
}