Department of Cellular and Structural Biology, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio 78284-7762.
The effects of ion cyclotron resonance (ICR)-type magnetic fields on pineal glands were investigated. Both the synthesis and the release of pineal melatonin, the gland's major hormone, were significantly (P less than 0.001 in each case) reduced by Ca(2+)-ICR-exposure, presumably caused by a reduced activity (P less than 0.05) of the enzyme N-acetyltransferase. It is concluded that this type of exposure may help to explain some of the effects of electromagnetic fields on biological systems. An extension to the existing ICR theory is presented which explains that ICR-like conditions may occur under various environmental circumstances.