The effects of prenatal and/or postnatal exposure of rats to a 50 Hz electric field on mismatch negativity in the EEG and oxidative brain damage should be investigated.
Mismatch negativity was investigated as an indicator for brain function.
Pregnant rats were divided into 4 groups: 1) only prenatal exposure, 2) only postnatal exposure, 3) prenatal and postnatal exposure, 4) sham exposed control group. 22 days after birth, male young animals were separated from their mothers, and 90 days after birth, 10 male rats per group were investigated.
| Exposure | Parameters |
|---|---|
|
Exposure 1:
50 Hz
Exposure duration:
1 hour/day during gestation until birth (22 days)
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|
|
Exposure 2:
50 Hz
Exposure duration:
1 hour/day for 90 days after birth
|
|
|
Exposure 3:
50 Hz
Exposure duration:
1 hour/day during gestation until birth (22 days) and for 90 days after birth
|
|
| Exposure source |
|
|---|---|
| Chamber | plastic cage (the animals' home cage; 42.5 cm Π26.5 cm Π18.5 cm) |
| Setup | the parallel plate capacitor consisted of custom made copper plates (50 cm Π80 cm) plated with zinc (2 mm thickness); in order to produce an uniform field, the corners of the plates were rounded; plates were placed upright on wooden stands and positioned parallel to each other (50 cm distance); cables from AC voltage transformer were connected to the center of the plates on their outer surfaces to preserve field homogeneity; one pregnant rat or four pups in one cage were exposed at one time; the cage was placed in the center between the two plates at equal distance from the plates; the cage was suitable for free movement of pups (and mothers?) (remark EMF-Portal: the direction of the electric field is specified as "vertical" in the article although the figures show a setup with a horizontal field) |
| Sham exposure | A sham exposure was conducted. |
| Additional info | rats of the prenatal exposure group were sham exposed for 90 days after birth |
| Measurand | Value | Type | Method | Mass | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| electric field strength | 12 kV/m | - | calculated | - | 11.7 - 11.89 kV/m |
| Measurand | Value | Type | Method | Mass | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| electric field strength | 12 kV/m | - | calculated | - | 11.7 - 11.89 kV/m |
| Exposure source |
|
|---|
| Measurand | Value | Type | Method | Mass | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| electric field strength | 12 kV/m | - | calculated | - | 11.7 - 11.89 kV/m |
The mismatch negativity amplitude was significantly decreased in all exposure groups compared to the control group, indicating an effect of the electric field exposure on the EEG of rats.
Lipid peroxidation was significantly increased in the postnatal exposure group (group 2) compared to the control group, while it was significantly decreased in the prenatal and postnatal exposure group (group 3) compared to prenatal (group 1) and postnatal exposure group.
The protein carbonyl levels were significantly decreased in group 3 compared to all other groups.
No apoptosis was found in any group and there were no differences observed in general health, food intake or body weight between the groups.
The authors conclude that prenatal and/or postnatal exposure of rats to a 50 Hz electric field might decrease mismatch negativity amplitude in the EEG. This could be partly explained by increased lipid peroxidation.
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