Alzheimer, EMFs, Mechanisms and Prevention

May 17, 2013

Alzheimer, EMFs, Mechanisms and Prevention

In our presentation in the Kuopio Alzheimer Symposium we talked about prevention.

Professor Colin Pritchard of Bournemouth University has recently pointed out: "Brain diseases affecting more people and starting earlier than ever before". He also listedheavily increased non-ionising radiation / EMFs as one possible explanation for this increase of dementia and Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Prevention in mind, I will next look at risk groups . Thereafter, I will list some suggested mechanisms which operate in the radiofrequency (RF) and extremely low frequency (ELF) range.

A. RISK GROUPS

In certain occupations, there is an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease , this has been shown by epidemiological studies and meta-analysis. (Garcia et al. 2008).

Occupational risk groups include (among others) welders, locomotive drivers,seamtresses , Power&IT&Telecom -employees.

People who live close to power lines have an increased AD risk (Huss et al., 2009), though there is a small number of epidemiological studies focusing on AD. Memory problems close to cell towers (Khurana et al., 2010 ; Chronic Exposure, 2013) come up in epidemiological studies. However, there is not a single AD-study directly related to cell towers / mobile phone base stations . Similarly, there seems to be only 1 cohort study focused on long-term mobile phone use, with strange results, since it is based on the dubious Danish cohort study. 

B. MECHANISMS

Several mechanisms of actions are discussed in the literature:

1. Amyloid beta (Aβ) increases in brain cells because of Blood Brain Barrier (BBB)- leakage.

Electromagnetic fields (EMF), especially pulsed microwave radiation affect BBB, but this effect is not linear and the greatest power densities do not make the BBB leak  (Frey, 1975 ; Frey, 1998; Nittby et al., 2008).

Most research is done on rats and this research can not directly extrapolated to humans.

In the following, edited video professor Leif Salford goes through BBB-studies and research challenges. 

2. Increased peripheral or brain production of Aβ as a result of magnetic field exposurecause voltage-gated calcium ion channels to be open longer than normal.

This results in abnormally high intracellular levels of calcium ions, which in turn results in the production of Aβ and that is quickly secreted into the blood and is then transported through the BBB perhaps best chaperoned by the 4 isoform of apolipoprotein E (apoE).  (Davanipour and Sobel, 2009; BioIniatiative, 2013)

3. Positron emission tomographic (PET) studies of cerebral glucose metabolism have shown high diagnostic specificity in distinguishing among the degenerative dementias and differentiating between AD and normal aging (Smith et al., 1992).

Volkow et al. (2011) have showed through a PET study that 50-minute mobile phone call increases glucose metabolism in the brain. This finding is similar to Huber et al.(2002), while Kwon et al. (2012) showed decrease in glucose metabolism.

4. A substantial body of literature has suggested that the memory and learning deficits associated with Alzheimer's disease and aging are attributable to degeneration of the cholinergic magnocellular neurons of the nucleus basalis of Meynert (nbM) (Muir, 1997).   EMF exposures decrease acetylcholine levels in brain in animal studies (Modak et al., 1981, Kunwiljar & Behari, 1993). Human studies are missing, as far I know.

5. EMFs affect pineal gland and decrease its melatonin production (which may increase the risk of AD) (Srinivasan et al., 2006). Blood tests provide valuable risk-indicators (Noonan et al., 2002).

Summa summarum, the EMF exposure seem to have a link to Alzheimer's Disease. This exposure extends from mobile workplace to living environments. However, the mechanism(s) are not clear and need to be researched further.

After-thought: While attending the Kuopio Alzheimer Symposium, I noticed a very small focus on preventation. These events are heavily sponsored by pharmaceutical companies and the main focus in the symposium was on drug pilots & related presentations.

By focusing on prevention (minimizing EMF exposure of children, educating about safer ways of using mobile devices) would make enormous cost savings and avoid individual tragedy in later life.

As far as I know, only the Russian National Committee of Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (RNCNIRP) has clearly indicated Alzheimer and Dementia risk of children. Other nations should perhaps follow their example?

Every comment on Alzheimer's disease and related topics is welcome.

http://beyondradiation.blogs.com/mblog/2013/05/alzheimer-emfs-mechanisms-and-prevention.html