EVIDENCE OF SYNCHRONIZATION OF NEURONAL ACTIVITY OF MOLLUSCAN BRAIN GANGLIA INDUCED BY ALTERNATING 50 Hz APPLIED MAGNETIC FIELD

Abstract

Experimental evidence for the appearance of synchronized bioelectric activity in neurons under applied extremely low frequency (ELF) magnetic fields is shown. We have studied the synchronizing process by recording the intracellular bioelectric activity from pairs of neurons randomly chosen from the brain ganglia of the snail Helix aspersa. The recordings were made in real time under exposure to sinusoidal low frequency (50 Hz) weak (B₀=1–15 mT) magnetic fields. Synchronization was observed in 27% of the pairs tested. A linear dependence of the firing frequency f with the energy density of the applied magnetic field (i.e., f∝B₀²) was presented. The ability of low frequency sinusoidal weak magnetic fields to promote “magnetic synchronization” is exciting and opens new avenues for induced electromagnetic field bioeffects.

• Synchronization of neuronal activity
• Neuron magnetic field effects
• Molluscs brain ganglia
• ELF-magnetic field effects
• Bioelectromagnetism
• Magnetobiology