Static magnetic field modulates rhythmic activities of a cluster of large local interneurons in Drosophila antennal lobe

Yang Y, Yan Y, Zou X, Zhang C, Zhang H, Xu Y, Wang X, Janos P, Yang Z, Gu H. Static magnetic field modulates rhythmic activities of a cluster of large local interneurons in Drosophila antennal lobe. J Neurophysiol 106: 2127-2135, 2011. First published July 20, 2011; doi:10.1152/jn.00067.2011.-With the development of superconducting magnets, the chances of exposure to intense static magnetic fields (SMFs) have increased. Therefore, safety concerns related to magnetic field exposure need to be studied, especially the effects of magnetic field exposure on the central nervous system. Only a limited number of studies prove a direct connection between magnetic fields and electrophysiological signal processing. Here we described a cluster of large local interneurons (LNs) located laterally to each antennal lobe of Drosophila melanogaster, which exhibit extensive arborizations throughout the whole antennal lobe. Dual recordings showed that these large LNs demonstrated rhythmic spontaneous activities that correlated with other LNs and projection neurons (PNs) in the olfactory circuit. The results suggest that 3.0-T SMF can interfere with the properties of the action potential, rhythmic spontaneous activities of large LNs, and correlated activity in pairs of ipsilateral large LN/LN in the olfactory circuit. This indicates that Drosophila can be an ideal intact neural circuit model and that the activities of the olfactory circuit can be used to evaluate the effects of magnetic field stimulations.