Effects of prenatal exposure to static magnetic field on the development of the cerebellar purkinje cells

ABSTRACT

Many studies were performed to evaluate the effects of static magnetic fields [SMFs] on the processes of proliferation and migration of cerebellar cells to their final postnatal destinations. Purkinje cell [PC] as one of the most critical station for all afferent input to the cerebellum as well as the major output from the cerebellum either direct or indirect through the other cerebellar neurons and development of Purkinje cells depends on their postnatal migration which is vulnerable to any micro-environmental insult. To evaluate the light and electron microscopic changes occurred to the cerebellar PCs of the pups after prenatal exposure to SMF [20 mT]. Prenatal exposure showed a significant decrease in the number of PCs as compared with that number in the control group throughout the time of study with appearance of some pathological changes at the cellular level obvious from the postnatal day 4 till the end of the study, as there were many apoptotic cells, few cells degenerated with astrocytosis near the Purkinje cells with large cytoplasmic vacuoles inside the cells and many cells became atrophied cells. The prenatal exposure to static magnetic field led to decrease ability of the proliferation, delay in the development and appearance of some degenerative changes in different stages of the postnatal development of the cerebellar cortex and these changes persisted till the adult life