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Brain & Nervous System

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 power line levels measurably altered rat brain activity within 15 days, with caffeine providing partial protection.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers exposed rats to extremely low frequency magnetic fields (the type emitted by power lines and appliances) for 15 days and found these fields significantly altered brain wave patterns, particularly enhancing activity in the right hemisphere. When caffeine was given alongside the magnetic field exposure, it appeared to partially counteract some of the brain changes, especially in areas controlling movement.

Why This Matters

This study reveals something remarkable: extremely low frequency magnetic fields at just 0.2 milliTesla can measurably alter brain electrical activity within 15 days. To put this in perspective, that's roughly the field strength you might encounter standing directly under high-voltage power lines or very close to certain household appliances. What makes this research particularly intriguing is the finding that caffeine seemed to provide some protective effect against these EMF-induced brain changes. The science demonstrates that our brains are far more sensitive to magnetic field exposure than many realize. While this was an animal study, the brain wave patterns measured (EEG frequencies) are fundamentally similar between rats and humans, making these findings highly relevant to human health concerns.

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_638,
  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},
  
  url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23564490/},
}
PubMed: 23564490

Cited By (3 papers)

Quick Questions About This Study

Research on rats suggests caffeine may partially counteract brain changes from extremely low frequency magnetic fields. The 2013 study found caffeine reduced some EEG alterations caused by 0.2 mT magnetic field exposure, particularly in brain areas controlling movement.
Yes, exposure to 8-12 Hz magnetic fields from power lines affects brain hemispheres differently. A 2013 rat study found these extremely low frequency fields enhanced brain wave activity more in the right hemisphere than the left hemisphere.
Brain wave changes from extremely low frequency magnetic fields can occur within 5 days of exposure. Research found that 0.2 mT magnetic field exposure for 15 days significantly altered EEG patterns, with some effects appearing after just 5 days.
Research suggests magnetic field effects vary by brain region. A 2013 study found that caffeine was more effective at reducing ELF magnetic field impacts in the motor cortex compared to the visual cortex, indicating regional brain differences.
Combining caffeine with extremely low frequency magnetic field exposure creates complex brain wave interactions. After 5 days, this combination greatly increased alpha wave activity (8-12 Hz) across all brain recording locations, suggesting caffeine modifies EMF effects rather than simply blocking them.