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Brain & Nervous System

Effect of exposure to 1,800 MHz electromagnetic fields on heat shock proteins and glial cells in the brain of developing rats.

No Effects Found

Watilliaux A, Edeline JM, Lévêque P, Jay TM, Mallat M · 2011

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A single 2-hour exposure to a GSM 1,800 MHz signal at 1.7–2.5 W/kg SAR did not significantly change heat shock proteins, glial markers, or microglial morphology in developing rat brains.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers exposed young rats on postnatal days 5, 15, or 35 to a GSM 1,800 MHz signal for 2 hours at 1.7–2.5 W/kg SAR and compared them to pseudo-exposed littermates. Western blotting measured heat shock proteins HSP60, HSC70, HSP90, serine racemase, glutamate transporters GLT1 and GLAST, and glial fibrillary acidic protein GFAP in total and soluble extracts. The GSM signal had no significant effect on any of these proteins, and immunohistochemical staining for CD68 showed no differences in microglial morphology or distribution.

Why This Matters

The authors concluded that the results provide no evidence for acute cell stress or glial reactions indicative of early neural cell damage. This conclusion applies to developing brains exposed to 1,800 MHz signals in the SAR range used in the study.

Exposure Details

SAR
1.7 to 2.5 W/kg
Source/Device
1,800 MHz
Exposure Duration
2 h

Exposure Context

This study used 1.7 to 2.5 W/kg for SAR (device absorption):

Building Biology guidelines are practitioner-based limits from real-world assessments. BioInitiative Report recommendations are based on peer-reviewed science. Check Your Exposure to compare your own measurements.

Where This Falls on the Concern Scale

Study Exposure Level in ContextStudy Exposure Level in ContextThis study: 1.7 to 2.5 W/kgExtreme Concern - 0.1 W/kgFCC Limit - 1.6 W/kgEffects observed in the Extreme Concern range (Building Biology)This level is 1 times the FCC limit
A logarithmic frequency spectrum from 10 Hz to 100 GHz showing where this study's 1.80 GHz exposure sits relative to common EMF sources.Where This Frequency Sits on the EMF SpectrumELFVLFLF / MFHF / VHFUHFSHFmm10 Hz100 GHzThis study: 1.80 GHzPower lines50/60 Hz5G mm28 GHzLogarithmic scale

Study Details

In the present study, we quantified cell stress and glial responses in the brain of developing rats one day after a single exposure of 2 h to a GSM 1,800 MHz signal at a brain average Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) in the range of 1.7 to 2.5 W/kg.

Young rats, exposed to EMF on postnatal days (P) 5 (n = 6), 15 (n = 5) or 35 (n = 6), were compared ...

The GSM signal had no significant effect on the abundance of HSP60, HSC70 or HSP90, of serine racema...

These results provide no evidence for acute cell stress or glial reactions indicative of early neural cell damage, in developing brains exposed to 1,800 MHz signals in the range of SAR used in our study.

Cite This Study
Watilliaux A, Edeline JM, Lévêque P, Jay TM, Mallat M (2011). Effect of exposure to 1,800 MHz electromagnetic fields on heat shock proteins and glial cells in the brain of developing rats. Neurotox Res. 20(2):109-119, 2011.
Show BibTeX
@article{a_2011_effect_of_exposure_to_2819,
  author = {Watilliaux A and Edeline JM and Lévêque P and Jay TM and Mallat M},
  title = {Effect of exposure to 1,800 MHz electromagnetic fields on heat shock proteins and glial cells in the brain of developing rats. },
  year = {2011},
  doi = {10.1007/s12640-010-9225-8},
  url = {https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12640-010-9225-8},
}
DOI: 10.1007/s12640-010-9225-8

Cited By (47 papers)

Quick Questions About This Study

The rats received a single 2-hour exposure to a GSM 1,800 MHz signal at a brain average SAR of 1.7 to 2.5 W/kg.
Western blotting measured heat shock proteins HSP60, HSC70, HSP90, serine racemase, glutamate transporters GLT1 and GLAST, and glial fibrillary acidic protein GFAP in total and soluble extracts.
The GSM signal had no significant effect on the abundance of HSP60, HSC70, HSP90, serine racemase, glutamate transporters GLT1 and GLAST, or GFAP in either total or soluble tissue extracts.
Immunohistochemical detection of CD68 antigen did not reveal any differences in the morphology or distribution of microglial cells between exposed and pseudo-exposed animals.
The authors concluded that the results provide no evidence for acute cell stress or glial reactions indicative of early neural cell damage in developing brains exposed to 1,800 MHz signals at the SAR range used.