Влияние электромагнитных излучений на ориентировочно-исследовательскую активность и когнитивные функции крыс с контрастной возбудимостью нервной системы

Abstract

In recent years, the mechanisms of influence that technogenic sources of electromagnetic radiation and the change in the natural electromagnetic field have on biological objects have been actively investigated. Nevertheless, the role of ancestral conditional characteristics of the nervous system in susceptibility towards and resilience against electromagnetic field oscillations has been virtually ignored. The objective of our research is to investigate the impact of the UHF band radiation emitted by a standard Wi-Fi router and the impact of external magnetic and electric fields weakened by shielding on animals’ innate behaviour which reflects orientational and exploratory activity and emotional response in an Open Field Test, and also on the cognitive functions (retention of the conditioned response of passive avoidance) of male rats from two selected strains: HT and LT — with high and low thresholds of nervous system excitability, and control Wistar rats. The outcomes of the study confirm the negative impact of weak external electric and magnetic fields, as well as EMR of the UHF band, on innate behaviour and memory in rats regardless of the selected strain, although HT rats were more sensitive to changes in magnetic and electric fields and electromagnetic radiation in comparison with LT rats.