Pain perception and electromagnetic fields.
A substantial body of evidence has accumulated showing that exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMFs) affects pain sensitivity (nociception) and pain inhibition (analgesia). Consistent inhibitory effects of acute exposures to various EMFs on analgesia have been demonstrated in most studies. This renders examinations of changes in the expression of analgesia and nociception a particularly valuable means of addressing the biological effects of and mechanisms underlying the actions of EMFs. Here we provide an overview of the effects of various EMFs on nociceptive sensitivity and analgesia, with particular emphasis on opioid-mediated responses. We also describe the analgesic effects of particular specific EMFs, the effects of repeated exposures to EMFs and magnetic shielding, along with the dependence of EMF effects on lighting conditions. We further consider some of the underlying cellular and biophysical mechanisms along with the clinical implications of these effects of various EMFs.
Del Seppia
Cristina
C
Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Council of Research, Pisa, Italy. dscri@ifc.cnr.it
Ghione
Sergio
S
Luschi
Paolo
P
Ossenkopp
Klaus-Peter
KP
Choleris
Elena
E
Kavaliers
Martin
M
D000698:Analgesia / Q000379:methods*; D000818:Animals; D004574:Electromagnetic Fields; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D010146:Pain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D059408:Pain Management; D017288:Pain Threshold / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012908:Snails