Kay R W
Westbank Clinic, Falkirk, Stirlingshire.
Br J Psychiatry. 1994 Mar;164(3):403-9. doi: 10.1192/bjp.164.3.403.
The hypothesis that geomagnetic storms may partly account for the seasonal variation in the incidence of depression, by acting as a precipitant of depressive illness in susceptible individuals, is supported by a statistically significant 36.2% increase in male hospital admissions with a diagnosis of depressed phase, manic-depressive illness in the second week following such storms compared with geomagnetically quiet control periods. There is a smaller but not statistically significant increase in female psychotic depression and non-psychotic depression admissions following storms. There was no correlation between geomagnetic storm levels and number of male admissions with psychotic depression, which is consistent with a threshold event affecting predisposed individuals. Phase advance in pineal circadian rhythms of melatonin synthesis may be a possible mechanism of causation or be present as a consequence of 5-hydroxytryptamine and adrenergic system dysfunction associated with geomagnetic disturbance. Effects on cell membrane permeability, calcium channel activity and retinal magneto-receptors are suggested as possible underlying biochemical mechanisms.
有一种假说认为，地磁风暴可能是易感个体患抑郁症的诱因，从而部分解释了抑郁症发病率的季节性变化。这一假说得到了数据支持：与地磁平静的对照期相比，在地磁风暴后的第二周，诊断为抑郁发作、躁郁症的男性住院人数显著增加了36.2%。在地磁风暴后，女性精神病性抑郁症和非精神病性抑郁症的住院人数也有增加，但增幅较小，且无统计学意义。地磁风暴水平与精神病性抑郁症男性住院人数之间没有相关性，这与阈值事件影响易感个体的情况一致。松果体褪黑素合成昼夜节律的相位提前可能是一种可能的致病机制，或者是与地磁干扰相关的5-羟色胺和肾上腺素能系统功能障碍的结果。对细胞膜通透性、钙通道活性和视网膜磁受体的影响被认为是可能的潜在生化机制。
