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Influence of Magnetic Field on Brain Activity During Administration of Caffeine

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El Gohary MI, Salama AA, El Saeid AA, El Sayed TM, Kotb HS. · 2013

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Magnetic fields at household appliance levels altered rat brainwaves in just 15 days, with caffeine appearing to reduce some effects.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers exposed rats to magnetic fields from power lines for 15 days and monitored brain activity. The magnetic fields altered brainwave patterns, particularly in the brain's right side. Caffeine appeared to modify these effects, suggesting everyday exposures may interact in unexpected ways.

Why This Matters

This study adds to the growing body of evidence that extremely low frequency magnetic fields can directly affect brain function, even at relatively low exposure levels. The 0.2 mT exposure used here is within the range you might encounter near household appliances or power lines, making these findings relevant to everyday exposure scenarios. What makes this research particularly intriguing is the suggestion that caffeine might offer some protective effect against magnetic field-induced brain changes. While we shouldn't interpret this as license to drink more coffee as EMF protection, it does highlight how our bodies' responses to electromagnetic fields can be complex and influenced by other factors. The fact that researchers observed measurable changes in brainwave patterns after just 15 days of exposure underscores the importance of taking EMF exposure seriously, particularly given our constant exposure to these fields in modern environments.

Exposure Details

Magnetic Field
0.2 mG
Source/Device
8–12 Hz
Exposure Duration
15 days

Exposure Context

This study used 0.2 mG for magnetic fields:

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 Exposure Level in ContextStudy Exposure Level in ContextThis study: 0.2 mGExtreme Concern - 5 mGFCC Limit - 2,000 mGEffects observed in the Slight Concern rangeFCC limit is 10,000x higher than this level
A logarithmic frequency spectrum from 10 Hz to 100 GHz showing where this study's 12 Hz exposure sits relative to common EMF sources.Where This Frequency Sits on the EMF SpectrumELFVLFLF / MFHF / VHFUHFSHFmm10 Hz100 GHzThis study: 12 HzPower lines50/60 HzCell phones~1 GHzWiFi2.4 GHz5G mm28 GHzLogarithmic scale

Study Details

The aim of the present work is to evaluate the effect of caffeine, the world’s most popular psychoactive drug, on the electric activity of the rat’s brain that exposed to extremely low-frequency magnetic field (ELF-MF), during 15 days.

The obtained results showed that administration of caffeine in a group of rats by dose of 10 mg/kg (...

It may be concluded that caffeine administration was more effective in reducing the hazardous of ELF-MF in motor cortex than in visual cortex.

Cite This Study
El Gohary MI, Salama AA, El Saeid AA, El Sayed TM, Kotb HS. (2013). Influence of Magnetic Field on Brain Activity During Administration of Caffeine Cell Biochem Biophys. 67(3):929-933, 2013.
Show BibTeX
@article{mi_2013_influence_of_magnetic_field_246,
  author = {El Gohary MI and Salama AA and El Saeid AA and El Sayed TM and Kotb HS.},
  title = {Influence of Magnetic Field on Brain Activity During Administration of Caffeine},
  year = {2013},
  doi = {10.1007/s12013-013-9584-x},
  url = {https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12013-013-9584-x},
}
DOI: 10.1007/s12013-013-9584-x

Cited By (3 papers)

Quick Questions About This Study

Yes, research shows 8-12 Hz magnetic fields from power lines can alter brain wave patterns. A 2013 study found 15 days of exposure to 0.2 mT magnetic fields enhanced EEG power amplitude, with stronger effects in the brain's right hemisphere than left hemisphere.
Caffeine may offer some protection against magnetic field effects on the brain. Research found caffeine administration reduced harmful effects of ELF magnetic fields, particularly in the motor cortex area, though visual cortex areas showed less protection from caffeine.
Yes, 8-12 Hz magnetic fields affect brain hemispheres differently. Research shows exposure to 0.2 mT ELF magnetic fields for 15 days caused greater enhancement of brain wave activity in the right hemisphere compared to the left hemisphere.
Magnetic field effects on brain waves can occur within days. Research found that combining caffeine with ELF magnetic field exposure led to significant increases in alpha brain wave activity after just 5 days of exposure.
Yes, power line magnetic fields appear to affect the motor cortex differently than visual brain areas. Research shows caffeine was more effective at reducing magnetic field effects in the motor cortex compared to the visual cortex region.