Spatial memory recovery in Alzheimer's rat model by electromagnetic field exposure.
Akbarnejad Z, Esmaeilpour K, Shabani M, Asadi-Shekaari M, Saeedi-Goraghani M, Ahmadi M. · 2018
View Original AbstractTherapeutic-level magnetic fields (10 milliTesla) improved memory in Alzheimer's rats, showing EMF can have beneficial brain effects at specific intensities.
Plain English Summary
Researchers injected rats with Alzheimer's-causing proteins and then exposed them to magnetic fields (50 Hz at 10 milliTesla) for 14 days. The magnetic field exposure significantly improved memory and learning abilities in the Alzheimer's rats, as measured by maze tests. This suggests that certain electromagnetic fields might help protect brain function in neurodegenerative diseases.
Why This Matters
This study reveals a fascinating paradox in EMF research: while we typically focus on potential harms from electromagnetic field exposure, here we see therapeutic benefits. The 10 milliTesla magnetic field used is roughly 200 times stronger than typical household exposures (around 0.05 milliTesla near appliances), placing it in the realm of medical devices rather than everyday environmental exposure. What makes this research particularly compelling is that it demonstrates both protective and restorative effects on brain function. The magnetic field exposure not only prevented some cognitive decline when applied immediately after the Alzheimer's trigger, but also improved memory when applied weeks later after damage had already occurred. This adds important nuance to our understanding of how electromagnetic fields interact with biological systems, particularly the brain and nervous system.
Exposure Details
- Magnetic Field
- 10 mG
- Source/Device
- 50 Hz
- Exposure Duration
- 14 consecutive days
Exposure Context
This study used 10 mG for magnetic fields:
- 500Kx above the Building Biology guideline of 0.2 mG
- 100Kx 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
This study aimed to investigate the effect of ELF-EMF exposure (50 Hz, 10 mT) on spatial learning and memory changes in AD rats.
Amyloid-β (Aβ) 1-42 was injected into lateral ventricle to establish an AD rat model. The rats were ...
AD rats showed a significant impairment in learning and memory compared to control rats. The results...
Our results showed that application of ELF-MF not only has improving effect on different cognitive disorder signs of AD animals, but also disrupts the processes of AD rat model formation.
Show BibTeX
@article{z_2018_spatial_memory_recovery_in_591,
author = {Akbarnejad Z and Esmaeilpour K and Shabani M and Asadi-Shekaari M and Saeedi-Goraghani M and Ahmadi M.},
title = {Spatial memory recovery in Alzheimer's rat model by electromagnetic field exposure.},
year = {2018},
doi = {10.1080/00207454.2017.1411353},
url = {https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00207454.2017.1411353},
}