Pharmacological analysis of response latency in the hot plate test following whole-body static magnetic field-exposure in the snail Helix pomatia
Hernádi L, László JF. · 2014
View Original AbstractStatic magnetic field exposure altered pain responses by 47% in snails, affecting the same neurochemical pathways found in humans.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed snails to a static magnetic field (147 mT) for 30 minutes and tested how quickly they responded to heat on a hot plate. The magnetic field exposure significantly slowed the snails' pain responses by up to 47%, suggesting the magnetic field affected their nervous system's ability to process pain signals through serotonin and opioid pathways.
Why This Matters
This study demonstrates that even brief magnetic field exposure can measurably alter nervous system function in living organisms. The 147 mT field strength used here is roughly 3,000 times stronger than Earth's natural magnetic field, but within the range of some medical MRI machines and industrial equipment. What makes this research particularly significant is that it identifies specific neurochemical pathways - the serotonin and opioid systems - through which magnetic fields appear to influence pain perception. While conducted in snails, these same neurotransmitter systems exist in humans and play crucial roles in pain processing, mood regulation, and overall neurological function. The science demonstrates that magnetic field exposure isn't biologically inert, as some claim, but can produce quantifiable changes in how nervous systems operate.
Exposure Details
- Magnetic Field
- 147±3 mG
- Exposure Duration
- 30-min
Study Details
To study the effect of single, 30-min long, whole-body, homogeneous static magnetic field (SMF)-exposure of magnetic induction 147±3 mT on the response latency of the snail Helix pomatia.
The response was investigated using the hot plate test.
The effect caused by exposure to SMF was compared to sham-exposure and resulted in significant diffe...
This study provides evidence that SMF-exposure mediates peripheral thermal nociceptive threshold by affecting the serotonerg as well as the opioiderg system.
Show BibTeX
@article{l_2014_pharmacological_analysis_of_response_259,
author = {Hernádi L and László JF.},
title = {Pharmacological analysis of response latency in the hot plate test following whole-body static magnetic field-exposure in the snail Helix pomatia},
year = {2014},
doi = {10.3109/09553002.2014.899444},
url = {https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3109/09553002.2014.899444},
}