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Brain & Nervous System

Whole-body exposure to 2.45 GHz electromagnetic fields does not alter anxiety responses in rats: a plus-maze study including test validation.

No Effects Found

Cosquer B, Galani R, Kuster N, Cassel JC. · 2005

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45-minute WiFi-frequency EMF exposure at 0.6-0.9 W/kg didn't alter anxiety behaviors in rats despite previous evidence of brain receptor changes.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers exposed rats to 2.45 GHz electromagnetic fields (the same frequency used in WiFi and microwave ovens) for 45 minutes and measured their anxiety levels using a standard behavioral test called the elevated plus-maze. The EMF exposure, at levels producing a specific absorption rate of 0.6-0.9 W/kg, did not change anxiety responses compared to unexposed control rats. This finding suggests that short-term exposure to this type of radiofrequency radiation does not affect anxiety-related behaviors in rats.

Why This Matters

This study provides important data on whether EMF exposure affects anxiety levels, a concern many people have about wireless technology. The researchers used 2.45 GHz radiation at power levels comparable to what you might experience from WiFi devices, though for a relatively short 45-minute exposure period. What makes this research particularly valuable is that the researchers previously found the same EMF exposure increased benzodiazepine receptors in rat brains, yet this neurochemical change didn't translate into observable anxiety behaviors. This highlights a key principle in EMF research: biological changes at the cellular level don't always result in measurable health effects. While this single study suggests no acute anxiety effects from brief WiFi-level exposures, the reality is that most of our daily EMF exposure is chronic and cumulative, lasting hours rather than minutes.

Exposure Details

SAR
0.6, 0.9 W/kg
Source/Device
2.45 GHz
Exposure Duration
45 minutes

Exposure Context

This study used 0.6, 0.9 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: 0.6, 0.9 W/kgExtreme Concern - 0.1 W/kgFCC Limit - 1.6 W/kgEffects observed in the Extreme Concern range (Building Biology)FCC limit is 3 times higher than this level
A logarithmic frequency spectrum from 10 Hz to 100 GHz showing where this study's 2.45 GHz exposure sits relative to common EMF sources.Where This Frequency Sits on the EMF SpectrumELFVLFLF / MFHF / VHFUHFSHFmm10 Hz100 GHzThis study: 2.45 GHzPower lines50/60 Hz5G mm28 GHzLogarithmic scale

Study Details

In a first phase of this investigation, a validation of our elevated plus-maze apparatus was performed in male Sprague-Dawley rats

Testing anxiety response at various ambient light intensities (200, 30, 10 and 2.5 lux), as well as ...

As we made no a priori hypothesis on whether the effects would be anxiogenic or anxiolytic, part of ...

The present experiment demonstrates that exposure to EMFs, which was previously found to increase the number of benzodiazepine receptors in the rat cortex [Lai H, Carino MA, Horita A, Guy AW. Single vs. repeated microwave exposure: effects on benzodiazepine receptors in the brain of the rat. Bioelectromagnetics 1992;13(1):57-66], does not alter anxiety responses assessed in the elevated plus maze.

Cite This Study
Cosquer B, Galani R, Kuster N, Cassel JC. (2005). Whole-body exposure to 2.45 GHz electromagnetic fields does not alter anxiety responses in rats: a plus-maze study including test validation. Behav Brain Res. 156(1):65-74, 2005.
Show BibTeX
@article{b_2005_wholebody_exposure_to_245_2987,
  author = {Cosquer B and Galani R and Kuster N and Cassel JC.},
  title = {Whole-body exposure to 2.45 GHz electromagnetic fields does not alter anxiety responses in rats: a plus-maze study including test validation.},
  year = {2005},
  
  url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15474651/},
}
PubMed: 15474651

Cited By (57 papers)

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Quick Questions About This Study

No, a 2005 study found that 45-minute exposures to 2.45 GHz electromagnetic fields at 0.6-0.9 W/kg did not alter anxiety responses in rats. Researchers tested rats using the elevated plus-maze under different lighting conditions, but found no significant behavioral changes compared to unexposed control rats.
Research using 2.45 GHz radiation (the same frequency as microwave ovens) showed no behavioral effects on anxiety in rats. Despite previous studies finding increased benzodiazepine receptors in rat brains from this frequency, the 2005 study found no corresponding changes in actual anxiety-related behaviors.
Researchers exposed rats to 2.45 GHz electromagnetic fields at specific absorption rates of 0.6-0.9 W/kg for 45 minutes. These exposure levels, which fall within ranges relevant to human wireless device use, produced no detectable changes in anxiety responses during behavioral testing.
The elevated plus-maze test revealed no anxiety changes from 2.45 GHz EMF exposure in rats. Researchers used both low (2.5 lux) and high (30 lux) lighting conditions to detect potential anxiogenic or anxiolytic effects, but found no significant behavioral differences between exposed and control groups.
A controlled study found that 45-minute exposures to 2.45 GHz radiation did not change anxiety levels in rats. The research specifically tested whether short-term exposure to this WiFi-frequency EMF would alter behavioral responses, but found no significant effects on anxiety-related behaviors.