Chronic exposure to an extremely low‐frequency magnetic field induces depression‐like behavior and corticosterone secretion without enhancement of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis in mice†
Kitaoka K, Kitamura M, Aoi S, Shimizu N, Yoshizaki K. · 2013
View Original AbstractChronic magnetic field exposure at 3 milliTesla triggered depression-like behavior and elevated stress hormones in mice.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed mice to extremely low frequency magnetic fields (ELF-MF) at 3 milliTesla for 200 hours and measured their behavior and stress hormone levels. The exposed mice showed significantly more depression and anxiety-like behaviors, along with elevated levels of the stress hormone corticosterone. This suggests that chronic exposure to strong magnetic fields may affect mental health and stress response systems.
Why This Matters
This study adds important evidence to our understanding of how magnetic field exposure affects brain function and mental health. The 3 milliTesla exposure level used here is extremely high compared to typical household sources (which produce fields measured in microTesla), but it's within the range of occupational exposures for workers near industrial equipment or MRI machines. What makes this research particularly significant is that it demonstrates measurable behavioral changes alongside biochemical markers of stress, providing a more complete picture of how EMF exposure might impact wellbeing. The science demonstrates that even without activating the body's primary stress response pathway, magnetic fields can still trigger depression-like symptoms and elevate stress hormones. This challenges the assumption that EMF effects must follow traditional biological pathways to be real.
Exposure Details
- Magnetic Field
- 3 mG
- Exposure Duration
- 200 h
Exposure Context
This study used 3 mG for magnetic fields:
- 150Kx above the Building Biology guideline of 0.2 mG
- 30Kx 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
In the present study, we investigated whether chronic ELF‐MF exposure (intensity, 3 mT; total exposure, 200 h) affected emotional behavior and corticosterone synthesis in mice.
ELF‐MF‐treated mice showed a significant increase in total immobility time in a forced swim test and...
Our findings suggest the possibility that high intensity and chronic exposure to ELF‐MF induces an increase in corticosterone secretion, along with depression‐ and/or anxiety‐like behavior, without enhancement of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis.
Show BibTeX
@article{k_2013_chronic_exposure_to_an_266,
author = {Kitaoka K and Kitamura M and Aoi S and Shimizu N and Yoshizaki K.},
title = {Chronic exposure to an extremely low‐frequency magnetic field induces depression‐like behavior and corticosterone secretion without enhancement of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis in mice†},
year = {2013},
doi = {10.1002/bem.21743},
url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/bem.21743},
}