Abstract

Abstract Overview

Electromagnetic fields (EMFs) are capable of interacting with biological tissues, influencing cell viability through both beneficial and harmful effects. The specific mechanisms that facilitate cellular sensing and signaling response to EMFs remain largely uncharted.

Key Findings

• In excitable cells, exposure to EMFs is hypothesized to stimulate a Ca2+ influx through voltage-dependent Ca channels (VDCC), leading to cellular activation and an antioxidant response.
• Continued activation could result in oxidative stress, potentially causing DNA damage or cell death.
• Evidence suggests that voltage dependent anion channels (VDAC) within both outer microsomal and cytoplasmic membranes respond to EMF variations by altering their Ca2+ conduction properties, impacting both excitable and non-excitable cells such as erythrocytes.
• VDAC is influenced by pulsed EMFs matching brain-wave communication frequencies, possibly explaining psychological disturbances in electromagnetically hypersensitive individuals.

Conclusion

This study emphasizes the role of VDAC and associated proteins such as the 18 kDa translocator (TSPO) in mediating cellular responses to EMFs. TSPO, sharing structural features with magnetoreceptors, might detect the magnetic aspects of EMFs, influencing physiological and pathological outcomes. The noted relationship between EMF interaction with the TSPO/VDAC complex and psychiatric symptoms aligns with clinical observations and treatments using diazepines.