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Spatial memory and learning performance and its relationship to protein synthesis of Swiss albino mice exposed to 10 GHz microwaves

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Sharma A, Sisodia R, Bhatnagar D, Saxena VK · 2013

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Swiss albino mice exposed to 10 GHz microwaves took longer to reach a target in a spatial memory test and showed decreased brain protein levels compared to sham-exposed mice.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers exposed Swiss albino mice to 10 GHz microwaves at a power density of 0.25 mW/cm2 for 2 hours per day for 30 days, then tested spatial memory using the Morris water maze test. Exposed mice showed statistically significant higher mean latency to reach the target quadrant compared to sham-exposed mice. A decrease in protein levels was also estimated in the whole brain of exposed mice compared to sham-exposed mice.

Why This Matters

The mice were 6 to 8 weeks old and divided into two groups: sham-exposed and microwave-exposed. After two days of initial training, the Morris water maze test was performed for another 6 days. Both groups showed a significant decrease in escape time with training, meaning both groups improved over sessions. Protein was estimated 48 hours after exposure and immediately after completion of the water maze test. The researchers suggested that the learning decrements may be due to the simultaneous decrease in protein levels in the brain.

Exposure Details

SAR
0.179 W/kg
Power Density
0.25 mW/cm²
Source/Device
10 GHz
Exposure Duration
2h/day for 30 days.

Exposure Context

This study used 0.25 mW/cm² for radio frequency:

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: 0.25 mW/cm²Extreme Concern - 1,000 µW/m²FCC Limit - 10M µW/m²Effects observed in the Extreme Concern range (Building Biology)FCC limit is 4 times higher than this level
A logarithmic frequency spectrum from 10 Hz to 100 GHz showing where this study's 10 GHz exposure sits relative to common EMF sources.Where This Frequency Sits on the EMF SpectrumELFVLFLF / MFHF / VHFUHFSHFmm10 Hz100 GHzThis study: 10 GHzPower lines50/60 HzCell phones~1 GHzWiFi2.4 GHzLogarithmic scale

Study Details

To study the possible role of microwave (MW) exposure on spatial memory of Swiss albino mice and its relationship to protein concentration in whole brain.

Mice were exposed to 10 GHz (Giga Hertz) microwaves with the power density of 0.25 mW/cm2 (milliwatt...

Both sham-exposed and microwaves-exposed animals showed a significant decrease in escape time with t...

It can be concluded from the current study that exposure to microwave radiation caused decrements in the ability of mice to learn the special memory task, this may be due to simultaneous decrease in protein levels in the brain of mice.

Cite This Study
Sharma A, Sisodia R, Bhatnagar D, Saxena VK (2013). Spatial memory and learning performance and its relationship to protein synthesis of Swiss albino mice exposed to 10 GHz microwaves Int J Radiat Biol. 2013 Aug 19.DOI: 10.3109/09553002.2013.835883.
Show BibTeX
@article{a_2013_spatial_memory_and_learning_181,
  author = {Sharma A and Sisodia R and Bhatnagar D and Saxena VK},
  title = {Spatial memory and learning performance and its relationship to protein synthesis of Swiss albino mice exposed to 10 GHz microwaves},
  year = {2013},
  doi = {10.3109/09553002.2013.835883},
  url = {https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3109/09553002.2013.835883},
}
DOI: 10.3109/09553002.2013.835883

Cited By (21 papers)

Quick Questions About This Study

Mice were exposed to 10 GHz microwaves at a power density of 0.25 mW/cm2, with a whole body SAR of 0.1790 W/kg, for 2 hours per day for 30 days.
Spatial memory was tested using the Morris water maze test, with two days of initial training followed by six more days of testing.
Exposed mice had a statistically significant higher mean latency to reach the target quadrant compared to sham-exposed mice.
A decrease in protein levels was estimated in the whole brain of exposed mice compared to sham-exposed mice.
The researchers concluded that learning decrements may be due to the simultaneous decrease in protein levels in the brain of mice.