Purkinje nerve cell changes caused by electric fields - ultrastructural studies on long-term effects on rabbits

Albino rabbits exposed to E-field (50 Hz AC, 14 kV/m, undisturbed field) from foetal life period "in utero" up to 7.5 weeks postnatally gained only about half the weight of controls reared in a Faraday's cage or outside measurable E-field. The Purkinje nerve cells in the cerebellum of E-field-exposed rabbits were reduced in size and the number of Nissl's bodies was reduced, as were the profiles of endoplasmic reticulum. A new structure, not observed in the controls, appeared in large numbers, namely, lamellar bodies concomitant with loss of hypolemmal cisterns. These structures were shown to be derived from the endoplasmic reticulum. The structural changes observed are interpreted as reflecting effects of exposure to an E-field.