Pulsed electromagnetic field enhances brain-derived neurotrophic factor expression through L-type voltage-gated calcium channel- and Erk-dependent signaling pathways in neonatal rat dorsal root ganglion neurons
Li Y, Yan X, Liu J, Li L, Hu X, Sun H, Tian J. · 2014
View Original AbstractElectromagnetic fields at 50 Hz directly boost brain protein production through calcium channels, proving nerve cells are electromagnetically sensitive.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed newborn rat nerve cells to 50 Hz electromagnetic fields for two hours and found increased production of BDNF, a protein essential for nerve growth and brain health. The fields activated specific calcium channels and cellular pathways, demonstrating how electromagnetic exposure directly influences nerve cell function and brain development.
Why This Matters
This study provides important mechanistic evidence that electromagnetic field exposure can directly alter brain chemistry through well-defined biological pathways. The researchers used a 50 Hz frequency at 1 mT (10,000 milligauss) - that's roughly 200 times stronger than typical household magnetic field exposure but within the range of some occupational environments and certain medical devices. What makes this research particularly significant is that it moves beyond simply showing that EMF exposure causes biological effects to explaining exactly how those effects occur at the cellular level. The fact that PEMF exposure increased BDNF production through calcium channel activation demonstrates that our nervous systems are electromagnetically sensitive in ways that can influence fundamental brain processes. While this particular study focused on isolated nerve cells rather than whole organisms, it adds to the growing body of evidence that EMF exposure triggers measurable biological responses in neural tissue through identifiable molecular mechanisms.
Exposure Details
- Magnetic Field
- 0.1, 1, 10, 100 mG
- Source/Device
- 50 Hz
- Exposure Duration
- 2 hours/day for 1 or 3 days
Exposure Context
This study used 0.1, 1, 10, 100 mG for magnetic fields:
- 5Kx above the Building Biology guideline of 0.2 mG
- 1Kx 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 aimed to examine the effects of PEMF exposure on brain-derived neurotrophic factor (Bdnf) mRNA expression and the correlation between the intracellular free calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) and Bdnf mRNA expression in cultured dorsal root ganglion neurons (DRGNs).
Exposure to 50 Hz and 1 mT PEMF for 2 h increased the level of [Ca2+]i and Bdnf mRNA expression, whi...
These findings indicated that PEMF exposure increased BDNF expression in DRGNs by activating Ca2+- and Erk-dependent signaling pathways.
Show BibTeX
@article{y_2014_pulsed_electromagnetic_field_enhances_274,
author = {Li Y and Yan X and Liu J and Li L and Hu X and Sun H and Tian J. },
title = {Pulsed electromagnetic field enhances brain-derived neurotrophic factor expression through L-type voltage-gated calcium channel- and Erk-dependent signaling pathways in neonatal rat dorsal root ganglion neurons},
year = {2014},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24937769/},
}