ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN SELF-RATED ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD SENSITIVITY, DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS, DREAMING AND SLEEP QUALITY: POTENTIAL MODULATING ROLE OF CACNA1C GENE VARIANT RS7304986

Sleep difficulties and indicators of depression have been linked to electromagnetic field (EMF) sensitivity; yet, the psychological and genetic basis of this connection is still unclear. The present research investigated how the CACNA1C rs7304986 polymorphism, EMF exposure, and subjective EMF sensitivity may relate to reported symptoms of depression, nocturnal thoughts, nightmare frequency, and subjective sleep quality. Individuals (N=770) completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the Dream Thought Questionnaire (DTQ), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and demographic questions before and during saliva samples were taken for genetic analysis. 708 participants (466 women and 242 men; 65.8% female; mean age = 25.9 years, SD = 4.6) were included for analysis, and 425 of them were successfully genotyped for the CACNA1C rs7304986 variation by using saliva samples. Data revealed a negative association between EMF sensitivity and BDI scores, such that individuals with higher EMF sensitivity reported less depressed symptoms. On the other hand, there was a lack of association between EMF sensitivity and either frequency of nightmares or DTQ scores. The BDI, DTQ, and nightmare scores did not differ between T/C and T/T allele carriers for rs7304986. When the data of sleep were analyzed, female gender and sleep problems were associated with poor sleep quality and frequent nightmares. EMF exposure measured by self-reported weekly phone call times significantly predicted PSQI scores. Regardless of EMF sensitivity; those with higher EMF exposure reported worse sleeping patterns. In summary, the present research reveals that the CACNA1C rs7304986 variation and EMF sensitivity demonstrate different and divergent patterns with regard to psychological and sleep-related consequences. The findings demonstrate that EMF-related contextual and perceptual mechanisms explain the depression and nocturnal phenomena better than individual genetic variations do. Keywords: CACNA1C, Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity, nightmare, depression