Effects of exposure to ELF-EMF on spatial & passive avoidance learning & memory, anxiety-like behavior & oxidative stress in male rats

2018 · Mixed · Low evidence

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MixedLow evidencePaper 2006

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2018

Study typeanimal

Reported directionMixed

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Effects of exposure to ELF-EMF on spatial & passive avoidance learning & memory, anxiety-like behavior & oxidative stress in male rats Asaad Karimi S, Salehi I, Shykhi T, Zare S, Komaki A. Effects of exposure to extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields on spatial and passive avoidance learning and memory, anxiety-like behavior and oxidative stress in male rats. Behav Brain Res. 2018 Oct 2. pii: S0166-4328(18)31074-X. doi: 10.1016/j.bbr.2018.10.002. Abstract There are many controversies about the safety of extremely low-frequency electromagnetic field (ELF-EMF) on body health and cognitive performance. In the present study, we explored the effects of ELF-EMF on oxidative stress and behaviors of rats. Seventy-two adult male Wistar rats were randomly divided into following groups, control, sham exposure group and the ELF-EMF exposure groups (1 µT, 100 µT, 500 µT, and 2000 µT). After 60 days exposure (2 h/day), elevated plus maze (EPM), Morris water maze (MWM) and Passive avoidance learning (PAL) tasks were used to evaluate the anxiety-like behavior, spatial and passive learning and memory, respectively. Some days after behavioral examination, oxidative stress markers were measured. During spatial reference memory test, animals in ELF-EMF exposure groups (100, and 2000 µT) spent more time in target zone (F (4, 55) = 5.699, P = 0.0007, One-way ANOVA). In PAL retention, the step through latency in the retention test (STLr) in ELF-EMF exposure groups (100,500, and 2000 µT) was significantly greater than control group (F (4, 55) = 29.13, P < 0.0001, One-way ANOVA). In EPM test, ELF-EMF exposure (500 and 2000 µT) decreased the percentage of the entries into the open arms (F (4, 55) = 26.31, P < 0.0001, one-way ANOVA). ELF-EMF exposure (100, and 500 µT) increased Malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration (F (4, 25) = 79.83, P < 0.0001, One-way ANOVA). Our results may allow the conclusion that exposure to ELF-EMFs can improve memory retention (but not acquisition) in the adult male rats. Although exposure to ELF-EMFs could be a factor in the development of anxious state or oxidative stress. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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AI evidence extraction

Structured fields below were generated from the paper’s abstract and metadata to make the evidence easier to inspect. Automated extraction may be incomplete or incorrect; verify important details against the original paper.

Study typeanimal

Effect directionmixed

PopulationAdult male Wistar rats

Sample size72

ExposureELF · 60 days (2 h/day); field intensities 1, 100, 500, 2000 µT

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 78% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

In spatial reference memory testing, rats exposed to 100 and 2000 µT spent more time in the target zone than controls. In passive avoidance retention, step-through latency was higher in the 100, 500, and 2000 µT groups versus control. In the elevated plus maze, 500 and 2000 µT decreased the percentage of open-arm entries, and MDA concentration increased in the 100 and 500 µT groups.

Outcomes measured

Spatial learning and memory (Morris water maze; time in target zone)
Passive avoidance learning and memory (step-through latency in retention test)
Anxiety-like behavior (elevated plus maze; % open-arm entries)
Oxidative stress markers (malondialdehyde, MDA)

Limitations

Frequency of the ELF-EMF exposure not reported in abstract
Exposure source/setup not described in abstract
Only adult male rats studied (generalizability limits)
Some outcomes show effects only at certain intensities (non-monotonic pattern)

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "animal",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "ELF",
    "source": null,
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "60 days (2 h/day); field intensities 1, 100, 500, 2000 µT"
  },
  "population": "Adult male Wistar rats",
  "sample_size": 72,
  "outcomes": [
    "Spatial learning and memory (Morris water maze; time in target zone)",
    "Passive avoidance learning and memory (step-through latency in retention test)",
    "Anxiety-like behavior (elevated plus maze; % open-arm entries)",
    "Oxidative stress markers (malondialdehyde, MDA)"
  ],
  "main_findings": "In spatial reference memory testing, rats exposed to 100 and 2000 µT spent more time in the target zone than controls. In passive avoidance retention, step-through latency was higher in the 100, 500, and 2000 µT groups versus control. In the elevated plus maze, 500 and 2000 µT decreased the percentage of open-arm entries, and MDA concentration increased in the 100 and 500 µT groups.",
  "effect_direction": "mixed",
  "limitations": [
    "Frequency of the ELF-EMF exposure not reported in abstract",
    "Exposure source/setup not described in abstract",
    "Only adult male rats studied (generalizability limits)",
    "Some outcomes show effects only at certain intensities (non-monotonic pattern)"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "ELF-EMF",
    "extremely low-frequency",
    "rats",
    "Wistar",
    "Morris water maze",
    "passive avoidance",
    "elevated plus maze",
    "anxiety-like behavior",
    "oxidative stress",
    "malondialdehyde",
    "MDA"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": []
}

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AI-extracted fields are generated from the abstract and metadata and may be incomplete or incorrect. This material is for informational purposes and is not medical advice.

Identifiers and source

DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2018.10.002
PubMed: Not supplied

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