Effect of prenatal exposure to stress and extremely low-frequency electromagnetic field on hippocampal and serum BDNF levels in male adult rat offspring.

Iranian journal of basic medical sciences · 2024 · Mixed · Low evidence

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MixedLow evidencePaper 5843

Prenatal stress increased serum corticosterone but did not affect spatial memory in adult male offspring. Combined prenatal stress + ELF-EMF disrupted the memory acquisition phase without changing corticosterone levels. Serum and hippocampal BDNF levels were …

Study snapshot

PublicationIranian journal of basic medical sciences · 2024

Study typeanimal

Reported directionMixed

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: Prenatal stress (PS) can adversely affect cognitive and psychological functions in the offspring. This study aimed to determine the effect of PS and extremely low-frequency electromagnetic field (ELF-EMF) on spatial memory, serum corticosterone, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) concentrations, and hippocampal BDNF levels in adult male offspring. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Female Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups (n=6): Control, Stress, ELF-EMF (exposure to ELF-EMF), and S+EMF (simultaneous exposure to stress and the ELF-EMF) groups. Animals received interven-tions for 21 days before and 21 days during pregnancy (a total of 42 days). On the offspring's 90 postnatal day (PND), spatial memory was tested using Morris Water Maze, serum Corticosterone and BDNF levels were measured by the ELISA method, and hippocampal BDNF levels were measured by Western blotting. RESULTS: PS did not affect spatial memory in the adult male offspring; however, it significantly (<0.05) increased se-rum corticosterone levels compared to the control and EMF groups. Simultaneous induction of stress with ELF-EMF disrupted the memory acquisition phase. Serum and hippocampal BDNF levels increased signifi-cantly (<0.05) in the EMF group compared to the stress group. CONCLUSION: Based on our findings, PS can increase serum corticosterone levels without affecting spatial memory. Howev-er, induction of ELF-EMF with stress has a destructive effect on spatial memory with no change in the corti-costerone levels. Compared to stress, prenatal exposure to ELF-EMF increases serum and hippocampal BDNF levels. Further studies are needed to determine the underlying mechanisms of these findings.

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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

PopulationFemale Wistar rats (dams) and adult male rat offspring assessed at postnatal day 90

Sample size6

ExposureELF · 21 days before and 21 days during pregnancy (total 42 days)

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 74% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Outcomes measured

Spatial memory (Morris Water Maze)
Serum corticosterone
Serum BDNF
Hippocampal BDNF (Western blot)

Limitations

ELF-EMF exposure parameters (e.g., frequency, field strength) not reported in abstract
Small group size (n=6 per group)
Only male offspring assessed
Animal study; generalizability to humans is limited

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "animal",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "ELF",
    "source": null,
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "21 days before and 21 days during pregnancy (total 42 days)"
  },
  "population": "Female Wistar rats (dams) and adult male rat offspring assessed at postnatal day 90",
  "sample_size": 6,
  "outcomes": [
    "Spatial memory (Morris Water Maze)",
    "Serum corticosterone",
    "Serum BDNF",
    "Hippocampal BDNF (Western blot)"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Prenatal stress increased serum corticosterone but did not affect spatial memory in adult male offspring. Combined prenatal stress + ELF-EMF disrupted the memory acquisition phase without changing corticosterone levels. Serum and hippocampal BDNF levels were higher in the ELF-EMF group compared with the stress group.",
  "effect_direction": "mixed",
  "limitations": [
    "ELF-EMF exposure parameters (e.g., frequency, field strength) not reported in abstract",
    "Small group size (n=6 per group)",
    "Only male offspring assessed",
    "Animal study; generalizability to humans is limited"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.74,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "prenatal stress",
    "ELF-EMF",
    "extremely low-frequency electromagnetic field",
    "BDNF",
    "corticosterone",
    "hippocampus",
    "Morris Water Maze",
    "Wistar rats",
    "offspring"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "occupational-exposure",
      "weight": 0.2,
      "reason": "Study involves ELF-EMF exposure, but no specific source is described; occupational ELF is a common context though not stated here."
    }
  ]
}

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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: 10.22038/ijbms.2024.75459.16357
PubMed: 39055879

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