Autism-relevant social abnormalities in mice exposed perinatally to extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields

Int J Dev Neurosci · 2014 · Mixed · Low evidence

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MixedLow evidencePaper 4683

Perinatal ELF-EMF-exposed male BALB/C mice showed impaired sociability and reduced preference for social novelty, along with decreased exploratory activity. Anxiety-like behavior, locomotion, motor coordination, and olfaction were reported as normal in expose…

Study snapshot

PublicationInt J Dev Neurosci · 2014

Study typeanimal

Reported directionMixed

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

The incidence of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) has been rising, but the causes of ASD remain largely unidentified. Collective data have implicated the increased human exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF) in the increasing incidence of ASD. There are established biological effects of extremely low-frequency (ELF) EMF, but the relation to ASD is not investigated enough. In this study we examined the effects of perinatal exposure to ELF EMF on some ASD-relevant behavioral parameters in mice. The EMF was delivered via a Helmholtz coil pair. Male BALB/C mice were used and divided into exposed and control groups (n=8 and n=9, respectively). Tests were used to assess sociability, preference for social novelty, locomotion, anxiety, exploratory behavior, motor coordination, and olfaction. The examined mice were all males and exposed to EMF during the last week of gestation and for 7 days after delivery. The exposed mice demonstrated a lack of normal sociability and preference for social novelty while maintaining normal anxiety-like behavior, locomotion, motor coordination, and olfaction. Exposed mice also demonstrated decreased exploratory activity. We concluded that these results are supportive of the hypothesis of a causal link between exposure to ELF-EMF and ASD; however, replications of the study with further tests are recommended.

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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

PopulationMale BALB/C mice

Sample size17

ExposureELF · Perinatal exposure during the last week of gestation and for 7 days after delivery

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 94% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Outcomes measured

Sociability
Preference for social novelty
Locomotion
Anxiety-like behavior
Exploratory behavior
Motor coordination
Olfaction
ASD-relevant behavioral parameters

Limitations

Animal study in mice
Small sample size (n=17)
Only male mice were examined
Authors recommend replication and further tests

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "animal",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "ELF",
    "source": "other",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "Perinatal exposure during the last week of gestation and for 7 days after delivery"
  },
  "population": "Male BALB/C mice",
  "sample_size": 17,
  "outcomes": [
    "Sociability",
    "Preference for social novelty",
    "Locomotion",
    "Anxiety-like behavior",
    "Exploratory behavior",
    "Motor coordination",
    "Olfaction",
    "ASD-relevant behavioral parameters"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Perinatal ELF-EMF-exposed male BALB/C mice showed impaired sociability and reduced preference for social novelty, along with decreased exploratory activity. Anxiety-like behavior, locomotion, motor coordination, and olfaction were reported as normal in exposed mice.",
  "effect_direction": "mixed",
  "limitations": [
    "Animal study in mice",
    "Small sample size (n=17)",
    "Only male mice were examined",
    "Authors recommend replication and further tests"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.94,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "ELF-EMF",
    "extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields",
    "autism spectrum disorder",
    "ASD",
    "perinatal exposure",
    "mice",
    "social behavior",
    "exploratory activity",
    "BALB/C"
  ],
  "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.ijdevneu.2014.06.010
PubMed: 24970316

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