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Effect of weak combined static and extremely low-frequency alternating magnetic fields on spatial memory and brain amyloid-β in two animal models of Alzheimer's disease.

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Bobkova NV, Novikov VV, Medvinskaya NI, Aleksandrova IY, Nesterova IV, Fesenko EE. · 2018

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Extremely weak magnetic fields reduced Alzheimer's-associated brain proteins in mice, showing biological systems respond to EMF at levels far below everyday exposures.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Russian researchers exposed Alzheimer's mice to extremely weak magnetic fields for 4 hours daily over 10 days. The treatment reduced toxic brain plaques and improved memory in some mice, suggesting specific magnetic frequencies might help clear harmful proteins in early neurodegenerative diseases.

Why This Matters

This study adds to a growing body of research suggesting that extremely low frequency magnetic fields can influence brain biology in ways that might benefit neurological health. What's particularly striking is that the magnetic field strength used was extraordinarily weak - about 42 microtesla for the static component and just 0.08 microtesla for the alternating field. For context, these levels are roughly 1,000 times weaker than Earth's natural magnetic field and far below typical household EMF exposures from power lines or appliances. The research demonstrates that biological effects from magnetic fields aren't simply about intensity - frequency and timing matter enormously. While this work focused on potential therapeutic applications, it underscores how sensitive our biological systems are to even minimal electromagnetic influences, reinforcing the importance of understanding EMF interactions with human health across all exposure levels.

Exposure Details

Magnetic Field
0.00008 - 0.042 mG
Source/Device
4.38 and 4.88 Hz
Exposure Duration
4 h/day for 10 days

Exposure Context

This study used 0.00008 - 0.042 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 ContextA logarithmic scale showing exposure levels relative to Building Biology concern thresholds and regulatory limits.Study Exposure Level in ContextThis study: 0.00008 - 0.042 mGExtreme Concern5 mGFCC Limit2,000 mGEffects observed in the No Concern range (Building Biology)FCC limit is 25,000,000x higher than this exposure level

Study Details

The aim of this study was to evaluate Effect of weak combined static and extremely low-frequency alternating magnetic fields on spatial memory and brain amyloid-β in two animal models of Alzheimer's disease

Subchronic effect of a weak combined magnetic field (MF), produced by superimposing a constant compo...

Exposure to the MFs (4 h/day for 10 days) induced the decrease of Aβ level in brain of OBE mice and ...

we suggest that in order to prevent the Aβ accumulation, MFs could be used at early stage of neuronal degeneration in case of AD and other diseases with amyloid protein deposition in other tissues.

Cite This Study
Bobkova NV, Novikov VV, Medvinskaya NI, Aleksandrova IY, Nesterova IV, Fesenko EE. (2018). Effect of weak combined static and extremely low-frequency alternating magnetic fields on spatial memory and brain amyloid-β in two animal models of Alzheimer's disease. Electromagn Biol Med. 37(3):127-137, 2018.
Show BibTeX
@article{nv_2018_effect_of_weak_combined_606,
  author = {Bobkova NV and Novikov VV and Medvinskaya NI and Aleksandrova IY and Nesterova IV and Fesenko EE.},
  title = {Effect of weak combined static and extremely low-frequency alternating magnetic fields on spatial memory and brain amyloid-β in two animal models of Alzheimer's disease.},
  year = {2018},
  
  url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29771571/},
}

Quick Questions About This Study

Russian researchers exposed Alzheimer's mice to extremely weak magnetic fields for 4 hours daily over 10 days. The treatment reduced toxic brain plaques and improved memory in some mice, suggesting specific magnetic frequencies might help clear harmful proteins in early neurodegenerative diseases.