Radical triads, not pairs, may explain effects of hypomagnetic fields on neurogenesis
Abstract
Adult hippocampal neurogenesis and hippocampus-dependent cognition in mice have been found to be adversely affected by hypomagnetic field exposure. The effect concurred with a reduction of reactive oxygen species in the absence of the geomagnetic field. A recent theoretical study suggests a mechanistic interpretation of this phenomenon in the framework of the Radical Pair Mechanism. According to this model, a flavin-superoxide radical pair, born in the singlet spin configuration, undergoes magnetic field-dependent spin dynamics such that the pair’s recombination is enhanced as the applied magnetic field is reduced. This model has two ostensible weaknesses: a) the assumption of a singlet initial state is irreconcilable with known reaction pathways generating such radical pairs, and b) the model neglects the swift spin relaxation of free superoxide, which abolishes any magnetic sensitivity in geomagnetic/hypomagnetic fields. We here suggest that a model based on a radical triad and the assumption of a secondary radical scavenging reaction can, in principle, explain the phenomenon without unnatural assumptions, thus providing a coherent explanation of hypomagnetic field effects in biology.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Sep 15, 2022
- Source ID
- 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1010519
Entities
People
- Daniel Kattnig
- Jess Ramsay
Organizations
- Defence Science and Technology Laboratory
- Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
- Leverhulme Trust
- Office of Naval Research Global