Extremely Low-Frequency Electromagnetic Fields Promote In Vitro Neuronal Differentiation and Neurite Outgrowth of Embryonic Neural Stem Cells via Up-Regulating TRPC1.
Ma Q, Chen C, Deng P, Zhu G, Lin M, Zhang L, Xu S, He M, Lu Y, Duan W, Pi H, Cao Z, Pei L, Li M, Liu C, Zhang Y, Zhong M, Zhou Z, Yu Z. · 2016
View Original AbstractEMF exposure at 1 milliTesla enhanced embryonic brain cell development, proving electromagnetic fields actively influence fundamental biological processes.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed embryonic brain stem cells to 50 Hz electromagnetic fields from power lines and electrical devices. The EMF exposure significantly enhanced the cells' development into neurons and promoted growth of neural connections. This suggests electromagnetic fields could influence brain formation during early development.
Why This Matters
This study reveals something remarkable: extremely low-frequency EMFs at 1 milliTesla can actually promote neuronal development in embryonic brain cells. What makes this particularly significant is the exposure level - 1 mT is roughly 20,000 times stronger than typical household EMF levels, but it's within the range of occupational exposures or very close proximity to high-current electrical equipment. The research demonstrates that EMFs don't just passively interact with biological systems - they actively influence fundamental developmental processes by triggering specific molecular pathways. While this particular study shows what appears to be a beneficial effect, it underscores a critical point: EMFs are biologically active at the cellular level. The reality is that if electromagnetic fields can enhance neuronal development, they can also potentially disrupt it under different conditions or exposure parameters. This adds to the growing body of evidence that EMF bioeffects are real and measurable, contradicting claims that these fields are biologically inert below thermal levels.
Exposure Details
- Magnetic Field
- 1 mG
- Source/Device
- 50 Hz
- Exposure Duration
- 1, 2, and 3 days with 4 hours per day.
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 studied the potential effects of ELF-EMFs on embryonic neural stem cells (eNSCs).
We exposed eNSCs to ELF-EMF (50 Hz, 1 mT) for 1, 2, and 3 days with 4 hours per day.
We found that eNSC proliferation and maintenance were significantly enhanced after ELF-EMF exposure ...
These results suggest that ELF-EMF exposure promotes the neuronal differentiation and neurite outgrowth of eNSCs via up-regulation the expression of TRPC1 and proneural genes (NeuroD and Ngn1). These findings also provide new insights in understanding the effects of ELF-EMF exposure on embryonic brain development.
Show BibTeX
@article{q_2016_extremely_lowfrequency_electromagnetic_fields_679,
author = {Ma Q and Chen C and Deng P and Zhu G and Lin M and Zhang L and Xu S and He M and Lu Y and Duan W and Pi H and Cao Z and Pei L and Li M and Liu C and Zhang Y and Zhong M and Zhou Z and Yu Z.},
title = {Extremely Low-Frequency Electromagnetic Fields Promote In Vitro Neuronal Differentiation and Neurite Outgrowth of Embryonic Neural Stem Cells via Up-Regulating TRPC1.},
year = {2016},
url = {https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0150923},
}