title: Behavioral effects of long-term exposure to magnetic fields in rats.
abstract: Male rats and pregnant and nonpregnant female rats of the Wistar strain were sham-exposed or exposed to static (0.49 T) or to extremely low frequency (50 Hz) magnetic fields (0.018 T) 2 h per day for 20 consecutive days. Measures of irritability, exploratory activity, and locomotion were made in that order before and after the 4th, 10th, and 17th 2-h exposures. A reliable decrease in the irritability of rats after repeated exposure to a static or undulating field was found. No significant effects of treatment conditions on open-field behavior and locomotor activity were observed. Pregnancy had no influence on the behavioral end points. These results indicate that irritability of rats may be used as a simple behavioral indicant of mammalian sensitivity to magnetic fields.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Silesian Academy of Medicine, Katowice, Poland.
authors.forename: H I
authors.initials: HI
authors.lastname: Trzeciak
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Grzesik
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bortel
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kuśka
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Duda
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Michnik
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Małecki
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000528:radiation effects*; D004574:Electromagnetic Fields / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005106:Exploratory Behavior / Q000528:radiation effects; D005260:Female; D007508:Irritable Mood / Q000528:radiation effects; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000528:radiation effects; D011247:Pregnancy; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013997:Time Factors