[Effect of extremely high-frequency electromagnetic radiation on the function of skin sensory endings]

The specific features of skin receptor function on the sole of the hind limb of an albino rat were studied in an acute experiment. Impulse activity recorded from the solitary fibres of the tibial nerve showed that receptor units (RU) responded to mechanical stimulation of the skin. Irradiation of the skin surface by low-intensity millimeter band electromagnetic field (frequencies of 55.61 and 73 GHz) in the zone of the RU led to diminution of RU sensitivity to the mechanical stimulus. One half of the RU ceased to respond to the mechanical stimulation 25 minutes after irradiation. The other half continued responding to stimulation even after 35 minutes of irradiation, but the character of the RU response was significantly changed. A strict frequency-resonance dependence of the biological effects was revealed. It is concluded that electromagnetic radiation has a modulatory-inhibiting effect on the skin RU. The authors suggest a possible mechanism of realization of the effect of electromagnetic radiation of extremely high-frequencies and low power on the skin receptor function.