Translation of Santini et al paper on Epilepsy (June 2003)
Electromagnetic field and Epilepsy
Richard GAUTIER, Louis GOUGEON, Roger SANTINI
www.csif-cem.org le 04/06/2003
Epilepsy is a neurological disorder of which the crises are the result of
electric sudden excessive disposals, generally brief, in a group of cerebral
cells (neurones). These electric disposals can take place in different parties
of the brain. The demonstrations clinics of the crises are therefore variable
and depend on location and function of the cerebral touched cells. Epilepsy is
often but not always the result of an other cerebral disease. In the cases where
we cannot identify the origin the theory the most widely accepted at the present
time is than it is the result of an imbalance between chemical substances in the
brain, in particular the chemical messengers known under the name of
neurotransmitters.
Until 5% habitants of the globe will have maybe a crisis in their life.
Epilepsy can have physical and psychological consequences engrave, of which
the dead subite, traumatisms or disturbances of the mood.
One knows that there exist the factors releasing with certain patients, for
example certain effects of scintillement (music libraries, television, etc.),
the hyperpn? the hyperhydratation, the sleep lack, stress it emotional or
physical. It is important to note that these factors are not the causes of
epilepsy, but that they have an influence on the moment where produce themselves
the crises.
Electromagnetic fields (EMF) and epilepsy.
In the causes:
It cannot be question in the state of the current scientific knowledge to
imply the CEM in the causes of very epilepsy if the question remains unresolved
for the cases where of the disruptions of the neurotransmitters are evoked as
the can do the CEM (to see for example the chapter on the acetylcholine).
In the triggering of the crises of the studies (5,6) showed since a long time
influences it magnetic fields on epilepsy and recent studies specified these
data:
Effects on animals:
Beason and al (1) showed the increase of the excitement rate of neurones
aviaires in response to a signal GSM to a SAR of 0.05 w/kg (peak of 0.1
mW/cm2)
Action rediscovered equally by Zhang and coll. (29) with the rat or by
Tattersall and coll. (30) or by Sidorenko and coll. (2) that characterized this
activity action like epilepsy. Marino and coll (26) showed these modifications
of the electric activity with the rabbit.
Effects on humans:
The studies having showed modifications at the level of the eeg, therefore
cerebral electric activity, with the man are very numerous (7 to 25), the
minimum level of exposition having showed an effect of 1.9 v/m (7) be
widely under the exposition doses generated by the telephones and on the order
of the one received by the riverside ones of base station. The effects on
attained persons of epilepsy were equally shown (27) as well as the significant
increase of the epilepsy risk with company workers of electricity (28).
Mechanism:
Action at the level of the electric synapse (Gap junction) and modifications
of the intercellular communications (3) explained by certain (4) by an
internalisation of the proteines of the synapse and or by modification of the
calcium intracellular level. Some authors do equally to intervene the
modifications at the level of the neurotransmitters.
Conclusion:
If the comprehension of the origin of epilepsy necessitates again researches,
the reasons relating to the triggering of the crises or to the favorisation of
these are a lot more clear ones and the CEM, that this be in very low
frequencies as the one of the electricity or in radiofrequencies such the one of
the mobile communication are shown as able to release epilepsy crises.
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