miRNA expression profile is altered differentially in the rat brain compared to blood after experimental exposure to 50 Hz and 1 mT electromagnetic field.
Erdal ME, Yılmaz SG, Gürgül S, Uzun C, Derici D, Erdal N. · 2018
View Original AbstractChronic magnetic field exposure altered brain gene regulation in rats, with young females most affected.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed rats to 50 Hz magnetic fields for 60 days and found significant changes in brain molecules that control gene expression. Young female rats showed the most dramatic effects, with altered patterns in both brain tissue and blood, suggesting chronic EMF exposure may disrupt normal brain function.
Why This Matters
This study provides compelling evidence that chronic exposure to power frequency magnetic fields can alter fundamental cellular communication systems in the brain. The 1 milliTesla exposure level used here is roughly 10 times higher than typical household levels but well within the range you might encounter near power lines or electrical equipment. What makes this research particularly significant is its focus on microRNAs, which act as master regulators of gene expression and have been linked to various neurological disorders including depression, anxiety, and neurodegenerative diseases. The fact that young female rats showed the most dramatic changes raises important questions about developmental vulnerability and sex-specific responses to EMF exposure. While we can't directly extrapolate from rats to humans, these findings add to a growing body of evidence suggesting that our brains may be more sensitive to electromagnetic fields than previously understood.
Exposure Details
- Magnetic Field
- 1 mG
- Source/Device
- 50 Hz
- Exposure Duration
- 4 hours/day on 60 consecutive days
Exposure Context
This study used 1 mG for magnetic fields:
- 50Kx above the Building Biology guideline of 0.2 mG
- 10Kx 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
We evaluated the effects of long-term (60 days) ELF-MF exposure on miRNAs previously related to brain and human diseases (miR-26b-5p, miR-9-5p, miR-29a-3p, miR-106b-5p, miR-107, miR-125a-3p).
A total of 64 young (3 weeks-old) and mature (10 weeks-old) male/female Wistar-Albino rats were divi...
All miRNA expression levels of the young female rats show a significant decrease in blood according ...
In conclusion, these new observations might inform future clinical biological psychiatry studies of long-term electromagnetic field exposure, and the ways in which host–environment interactions contribute to brain diseases.
Show BibTeX
@article{me_2018_mirna_expression_profile_is_640,
author = {Erdal ME and Yılmaz SG and Gürgül S and Uzun C and Derici D and Erdal N.},
title = {miRNA expression profile is altered differentially in the rat brain compared to blood after experimental exposure to 50 Hz and 1 mT electromagnetic field.},
year = {2018},
url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0079610717301475},
}