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The role of magnetic fields in neurodegenerative diseases

  • Special Issue: Atmospheric Electricity and Biometeorology
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Abstract

The term neurodegenerative diseases include a long list of diseases affecting the nervous system that are characterized by the degeneration of different neurological structures. Among them, Alzheimer disease (AD), Parkinson disease (PD), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are the most representative ones. The vast majority of cases are sporadic and results from the interaction of genes and environmental factors in genetically predisposed individuals. Among environmental conditions, electromagnetic field exposure has begun to be assessed as a potential risk factor for neurodegeneration. In this review, we discuss the existing literature regarding electromagnetic fields and neurodegenerative diseases. Epidemiological studies in AD, PD, and ALS have shown discordant results; thus, a clear correlation between electromagnetic exposure and neurodegeneration has not been demonstrated. In addition, we discuss the role of electromagnetic radiation as a potential non-invasive therapeutic strategy for some neurodegenerative diseases, particularly for PD and AD.

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Acknowledgments

This article is based upon work from COST Action Electronet (CA14211), supported by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology). M.C. also acknowledges project no. 18-23597S from the Czech Science Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Service of Neurology, Hospital Sierrallana-IDIVAL, Barrio Ganzo s/n, 39300, Torrelavega, Spain

    Javier Riancho & Jose Ramón Sanchez de la Torre

  2. CIBERNED, Barcelona, Spain

    Javier Riancho

  3. Medicine and Psychiatry Department, University of Cantabria, Santander, Spain

    Javier Riancho

  4. Service of Internal Medicine, Hospital Sierrallana, Torrelavega, Spain

    Lucía Paz-Fajardo & Cristina Limia

  5. Legal Medicine and Toxicology Unit, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Cantabria, Santander, Spain

    Ana Santurtun

  6. Institute of Photonics and Electronics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Chaberská 1014/57, 182 51, Prague, Czech Republic

    Michal Cifra

  7. Department of Environmental Engineering, Democritus University of Thrace, 67100, Xanthi, Greece

    Kostas Kourtidis

  8. Environmental and Networking Technologies and Applications Unit (ENTA), Athena Research and Innovation Center, 67100, Xanthi, Greece

    Kostas Kourtidis

  9. Geography and Planning Department, Geobiomet Research Group, University of Cantabria, Santander, Spain

    Pablo Fdez-Arroyabe

Authors
  1. Javier Riancho
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  2. Jose Ramón Sanchez de la Torre
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  3. Lucía Paz-Fajardo
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  4. Cristina Limia
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  5. Ana Santurtun
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  6. Michal Cifra
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  7. Kostas Kourtidis
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  8. Pablo Fdez-Arroyabe
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Javier Riancho.

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Riancho, J., Sanchez de la Torre, J., Paz-Fajardo, L. et al. The role of magnetic fields in neurodegenerative diseases. Int J Biometeorol 65, 107–117 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-020-01896-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-020-01896-y

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