Millimeter wave effects on electrical responses of the sural nerve in vivo

• Published in: Bioelectromagnetics 2010-04, Vol.31 (3), p.180-190
• Main Authors: Alekseev, Stanislav I., Gordiienko, Oleg V., Radzievsky, Alexander A., Ziskin, Marvin C.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Action Potentials - drug effects; Action Potentials - physiology; Action Potentials - radiation effects; Animals; Capsaicin - pharmacology; Electromagnetic Fields; Hindlimb - drug effects; Hindlimb - physiology; Hindlimb - radiation effects; Hot Temperature; Male; mast cells; Mice; murine sural nerve; Neural Inhibition - drug effects; Neural Inhibition - radiation effects; p-Methoxy-N-methylphenethylamine - pharmacology; Physical Stimulation; Skin Temperature; spontaneous electrical activity; Sural Nerve - drug effects; Sural Nerve - physiology; Sural Nerve - radiation effects; Thermosensing - physiology; Thermosensing - radiation effects; Time Factors; Touch - physiology; Touch - radiation effects; TRPV Cation Channels - agonists
• ISSN: 0197-8462; 1521-186X
• DOI: 10.1002/bem.20547

Millimeter wave (MMW, 42.25 GHz)‐induced changes in electrical activity of the murine sural nerve were studied in vivo using external electrode recordings. MMW were applied to the receptive field of the sural nerve in the hind paw. We found two types of responses of the sural nerve to MMW exposure. First, MMW exposure at the incident power density ≥45 mW/cm2 inhibited the spontaneous electrical activity. Exposure with lower intensities (10–30 mW/cm2) produced no detectable changes in the firing rate. Second, the nerve responded to the cessation of MMW exposure with a transient increase in the firing rate. The effect lasted 20–40 s. The threshold intensity for this effect was 160 mW/cm2. Radiant heat exposure reproduced only the inhibitory effect of MMW but not the transient excitatory response. Depletion of mast cells by compound 48/80 eliminated the transient response of the nerve. It was suggested that the cold sensitive fibers were responsible for the inhibitory effect of MMW and radiant heat exposures. However, the receptors and mechanisms involved in inducing the transient response to MMW exposure are not clear. The hypothesis of mast cell involvement was discussed. Bioelectromagnetics 31:180–190, 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.