Changes in synaptic efficacy in rat brain slices following extremely low-frequency magnetic field exposure at embryonic and early postnatal age.
Balassa T, Varró P, Elek S, Drozdovszky O, Szemerszky R, Világi I, Bárdos G. · 2013
View Original AbstractMagnetic field exposure during brain development caused lasting changes in neural function, suggesting developing brains are particularly vulnerable.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed developing rats to 50 Hz magnetic fields (the same frequency as power lines) during critical brain development periods and found lasting changes in brain function. The exposed animals showed altered electrical activity in brain regions responsible for learning and memory, with some changes persisting weeks after exposure ended. This suggests that magnetic field exposure during early development may affect how the brain processes information later in life.
Why This Matters
This study reveals something particularly concerning about magnetic field exposure during development. The researchers found that exposure levels of 0.5 to 3 milliTesla during critical brain development windows caused measurable changes in synaptic function. To put this in perspective, these exposure levels are higher than typical household exposures but within ranges found near power lines or electrical equipment. What makes this research especially significant is the timing. The brain undergoes rapid development during fetal and early postnatal periods, and this study demonstrates that magnetic fields can interfere with normal neural development processes. The fact that these changes persisted in brain tissue weeks after exposure ended suggests the effects aren't temporary adaptations but potentially permanent alterations to brain circuitry. This adds to a growing body of evidence that the developing nervous system may be particularly vulnerable to EMF exposure, raising important questions about exposure limits for pregnant women and young children.
Exposure Details
- Magnetic Field
- 0.5, 3 mG
- Source/Device
- 50 Hz
- Exposure Duration
- 7 days starting 3 days after birth
Exposure Context
This study used 0.5, 3 mG for magnetic fields:
- 25Kx above the Building Biology guideline of 0.2 mG
- 5Kx 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
The aim of the present study was to determine the effects of a long-term ELF-MF (0.5 and 3 mT, 50 Hz) exposure on synaptic functions in the developing brain.
Rats were treated with chronic exposure to MF during two critical periods of brain development, i.e....
We demonstrated that the basic excitability of hippocampal slices (measured as amplitude of populati...
Results demonstrated that ELF-MF has significant effects on basic neuronal functions and synaptic plasticity in brain slice preparations originating from rats exposed either in fetal or in newborn period.
Show BibTeX
@article{t_2013_changes_in_synaptic_efficacy_602,
author = {Balassa T and Varró P and Elek S and Drozdovszky O and Szemerszky R and Világi I and Bárdos G.},
title = {Changes in synaptic efficacy in rat brain slices following extremely low-frequency magnetic field exposure at embryonic and early postnatal age.},
year = {2013},
url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0736574813001184},
}