Effects of ۳ Hz and ۶۰ Hz Extremely Low Frequency Electromagnetic Fields on Anxiety-Like Behaviors, Memory Retention of Passive Avoidance and Electrophysiological Properties of Male Rats

Abstract Introduction: The effects of electromagnetic fields on biological organisms have been a controversial and also interesting debate over the past few decades, despite the wide range of investigations, many aspects of extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields (ELF/EMFs) effects including mechanism of their interaction with live organisms and also their possible biological applications still remain ambiguous. In the present study, we investigated whether the exposures of ELF/EMF with frequencies of ۳ Hz and ۶۰ Hz can affect the memory, anxiety like behaviors, electrophysiological properties and brain’s proteome in rats. Methods: Male rats were exposed to ۳ Hz and ۶۰ Hz ELF/EMFs in a protocol consisting of ۲ cycles of ۲ h/day exposure for ۴ days separated with a ۲-day interval. Short term memory and anxiety like behaviors were assessed immediately, ۱ and ۲ weeks after the exposures. Effects of short term exposure were also assessed using electrophysiological approach immediately after ۲ hours exposure. Results: Behavioral test revealed that immediately after the end of exposures, locomotor activity of both ۳ Hz and ۶۰ Hz exposed groups significantly decreased compared to sham group. This exposure protocol had no effect on anxiety like behavior during the ۲ weeks after the treatment and also on short term memory. A significant reduction in firing rate of locus coeruleus (LC) was found after ۲ hours of both ۳ Hz and ۶۰ Hz exposures. Proteome analysis also revealed global changes in whole brain proteome after treatment.Conclusion: Here, some evidence regarding the fact that such exposures can alter locomotor activity and neurons firing rate in male rats were presented. Keywords: ELF/EMFs Locomotion Memory Locus Coeruleus.