Electromagnetic Field Treatment Protects Against and Reverses Cognitive Impairment in Alzheimer's Disease Mice

Issue title: Similarities and Differences Between Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer's Disease

Guest editors: Mark A. Lovell

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Arendash, Gary W.^{a; b; *} | Sanchez-Ramos, Juan^{c; d} | Mori, Takashi^e | Mamcarz, Malgorzata^b | Lin, Xiaoyang^c | Runfeldt, Melissa^b | Wang, Li^{b; c} | Zhang, Guixin^{b; c; f} | Sava, Vasyl^d | Tan, Jun^g | Cao, Chuanhai^{b; c; h}

Affiliations: [a] The Florida Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Tampa, FL, USA | [b] Department of Cell Biology, Microbiology, and Molecular Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA | [c] The Byrd Alzheimer's Institute, Tampa, FL, USA | [d] Department of Neurology, University of South Florida College of Medicine, Tampa, FL, USA | [e] Departments of Medical Science and Pathology, Saitama Medical Center and Saitama Medical University, Kawagoe, Saitama, Japan | [f] Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China | [g] Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA | [h] Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology, College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA | Sanders-Brown Center on Aging and Alzheimer's Disease Center, Department of Chemistry, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, USA

Correspondence: [*] Corresponding author: Gary W. Arendash, Ph.D., Department of Cell Biology, Microbiology, and Molecular Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, USA. Tel.: +1 813 732 9040; +1 813 974 1584; E-mail: arendash@cas.usf.edu.

Abstract: Despite numerous studies, there is no definitive evidence that high-frequency electromagnetic field (EMF) exposure is a risk to human health. To the contrary, this report presents the first evidence that long-term EMF exposure directly associated with cell phone use (918 MHz; 0.25 w/kg) provides cognitive benefits. Both cognitive-protective and cognitive-enhancing effects of EMF exposure were discovered for both normal mice and transgenic mice destined to develop Alzheimer's-like cognitive impairment. The cognitive interference task utilized in this study was designed from, and measure-for-measure analogous to, a human cognitive interference task. In Alzheimer's disease mice, long-term EMF exposure reduced brain amyloid-β (Aβ) deposition through Aβ anti-aggregation actions and increased brain temperature during exposure periods. Several inter-related mechanisms of EMF action are proposed, including increased Aβ clearance from the brains of Alzheimer's disease mice, increased neuronal activity, and increased cerebral blood flow. Although caution should be taken in extrapolating these mouse studies to humans, we conclude that EMF exposure may represent a non-invasive, non-pharmacologic therapeutic against Alzheimer's disease and an effective memory-enhancing approach in general.

Keywords: Alzheimer's disease, amyloid-β, electromagnetic fields, memory, transgenic mice

DOI: 10.3233/JAD-2010-1228

Journal: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 191-210, 2010