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Brain & Nervous System148 citations

Blood-brain barrier permeability in rats exposed to electromagnetic fields used in wireless communication.

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Persson BRR, Salford LG, Brun A · 1997

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Exposed rats showed a significantly higher rate of blood-brain barrier leakage than unexposed controls.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers studied blood-brain barrier permeability in Fischer 344 rats of both sexes exposed to radio frequency electromagnetic fields. The exposure used 915 MHz microwaves delivered as either pulse-modulated or continuous wave signals. The rate of pathological leakage rose from 0.17 in controls to 0.39 across all exposed rats, a highly significant difference. Continuous wave exposure produced a higher rate of pathological rats (0.50 ± 0.07) than pulse-modulated exposure (0.35 ± 0.03), and that difference was also statistically significant.

Why This Matters

In total, 630 exposed rats and 372 controls were investigated across various modulation frequencies. The rats were not anaesthetised during exposure, and brains were examined after perfusion fixation. Albumin and fibrinogen were detected in brain tissue using immunohistochemical methods and classified as either normal or pathological leakage. Significant differences in leakage were found at all tested levels of specific absorbed energy above 1.5 J/kg. The control groups across various experiments showed a consistent and statistically similar leakage rate of 0.17.

Exposure Information

A logarithmic frequency spectrum from 10 Hz to 100 GHz showing where this study's 915 MHz exposure sits relative to common EMF sources.Where This Frequency Sits on the EMF SpectrumELFVLFLF / MFHF / VHFUHFSHFmm10 Hz100 GHzThis study: 915 MHzPower lines50/60 Hz5G mm28 GHzLogarithmic scale

Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study. The study examined exposure from: 915 MHz Duration: 2 min to 960 min

Study Details

To study the permeability of blood‐brain barrier permeability in rats exposed to electromagnetic fields used in wireless communication

Biological effects of radio frequency electromagnetic fields (EMF) on the blood‐brain barrier (BBB) ...

The frequency of pathological rats is significantly increased (p < 0.0001) from 62/372 (ratio: 0.17 ...

Cite This Study
Persson BRR, Salford LG, Brun A (1997). Blood-brain barrier permeability in rats exposed to electromagnetic fields used in wireless communication. Wireless Network 3:455-461, 1997.
Show BibTeX
@article{brr_1997_bloodbrain_barrier_permeability_in_2521,
  author = {Persson BRR and Salford LG and Brun A},
  title = {Blood-brain barrier permeability in rats exposed to electromagnetic fields used in wireless communication.},
  year = {1997},
  doi = {10.1023/A:1019150510840},
  url = {https://link.springer.com/article/10.1023/A:1019150510840},
}
DOI: 10.1023/A:1019150510840

Cited By (148 papers)

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Quick Questions About This Study

The study used male and female Fischer 344 rats.
Rats were exposed to 915 MHz microwaves, delivered as continuous wave or pulse-modulated signals at different pulse frequencies and widths.
Continuous wave exposure produced a pathological rate of 0.50, while pulse-modulated exposure produced a rate of 0.35, and that difference was statistically significant.
Brain sections were examined immunohistochemically for albumin and fibrinogen and classified as showing normal or pathological leakage.
Significant differences in leakage were found at all levels of specific absorbed energy above 1.5 J/kg.