Common behaviors alterations after extremely low-frequency electromagnetic field exposure in rat animal model.

Electromagnetic biology and medicine · 2016 · Mixed · Low evidence

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MixedLow evidencePaper 4764

Study snapshot

PublicationElectromagnetic biology and medicine · 2016

Study typeanimal

Reported directionMixed

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Naturally, the presence of electromagnetic waves in our living environment affects all components of organisms, particularly humans and animals, as the large part of their body consists of water. In the present study, we tried to investigate the relation between exposure to the extremely low-frequency electromagnetic field (ELF-EMF) and common behaviors such as body weight, food and water intake, anorexia (poor appetite), plasma glucose concentration, movement, rearing and sniffing in rats. For this purpose, rats were exposed to 40 Hz ELF-EMF once a day for 21 days, then at days 1, 3, 7, 14 and 21 after exposure, any changes in the above-mentioned items were assessed in the exposed rats and compared to the non-exposed group as control. Body weight of irradiated rats significantly increased only a week after exposure and decreased after that. No significant change was observed in food and water intake of irradiated rats compared to the control, and the anorexia parameter in the group exposed to ELF-EMF was significantly decreased at one and two weeks after irradiation. A week after exposure, the level of glucose was significantly increased but at other days these changes were not significant. Movements, rearing and sniffing of rats at day 1 after exposure were significantly decreased and other days these changes did not follow any particular pattern. However, the result of this study demonstrated that exposure to ELF-EMF can alter the normal condition of animals and may represent a harmful impact on behavior.

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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

PopulationRats

Sample sizeNot supplied

ExposureELF · 4e-05 MHz · once a day for 21 days

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 74% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Rats exposed to 40 Hz ELF-EMF once daily for 21 days showed time-dependent behavioral and physiological changes compared with non-exposed controls. Body weight increased significantly only at 1 week post-exposure and decreased thereafter; food and water intake did not significantly change; anorexia parameter decreased significantly at 1 and 2 weeks; glucose increased significantly at 1 week only; movement, rearing, and sniffing decreased significantly at day 1 with no consistent pattern on later days.

Outcomes measured

Body weight
Food intake
Water intake
Anorexia (poor appetite)
Plasma glucose concentration
Movement
Rearing
Sniffing

Limitations

Sample size not reported in abstract
Exposure intensity/field strength not reported
Some outcomes showed effects only at specific time points and lacked a consistent pattern

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "animal",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "ELF",
    "source": null,
    "frequency_mhz": 4e-05,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "once a day for 21 days"
  },
  "population": "Rats",
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "Body weight",
    "Food intake",
    "Water intake",
    "Anorexia (poor appetite)",
    "Plasma glucose concentration",
    "Movement",
    "Rearing",
    "Sniffing"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Rats exposed to 40 Hz ELF-EMF once daily for 21 days showed time-dependent behavioral and physiological changes compared with non-exposed controls. Body weight increased significantly only at 1 week post-exposure and decreased thereafter; food and water intake did not significantly change; anorexia parameter decreased significantly at 1 and 2 weeks; glucose increased significantly at 1 week only; movement, rearing, and sniffing decreased significantly at day 1 with no consistent pattern on later days.",
  "effect_direction": "mixed",
  "limitations": [
    "Sample size not reported in abstract",
    "Exposure intensity/field strength not reported",
    "Some outcomes showed effects only at specific time points and lacked a consistent pattern"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.74,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "extremely low-frequency",
    "ELF-EMF",
    "40 Hz",
    "rats",
    "behavior",
    "body weight",
    "glucose",
    "movement",
    "rearing",
    "sniffing",
    "anorexia"
  ],
  "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: 10.3109/15368378.2015.1054401
PubMed: 26182237

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