Effects of long-term electromagnetic field exposure on spatial learning and memory in rats.
Hao D, Yang L, Chen S, Tong J, Tian Y, Su B, Wu S, Zeng Y · 2013
View Original AbstractCell phone-level radiation impaired rats' learning and memory while disrupting brain cell activity, suggesting everyday wireless exposure may affect cognitive function.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed rats to 916 MHz radiofrequency radiation (similar to cell phone signals) for 6 hours daily over 10 weeks and tested their ability to navigate a maze to find food. The exposed rats showed significantly impaired learning and memory during weeks 4-5, taking longer to complete the maze and making more errors, while brain recordings revealed disrupted neuron firing patterns throughout the study.
Why This Matters
This study adds to mounting evidence that radiofrequency radiation can disrupt cognitive function, even at power levels similar to what you encounter from cell phones and wireless devices. The 10 watts per square meter exposure level falls within the range of everyday RF exposure from multiple wireless sources in your environment. What's particularly concerning is that the researchers observed irregular brain cell firing patterns throughout the entire 10-week exposure period, even when behavioral effects weren't apparent. The temporary nature of the learning impairment (weeks 4-5) followed by apparent adaptation doesn't necessarily indicate safety. Rather, it suggests the brain may develop compensatory mechanisms that mask ongoing cellular disruption. This aligns with other research showing that chronic EMF exposure can alter brain function in ways that aren't immediately obvious but may have long-term consequences for cognitive health.
Exposure Details
- Power Density
- 1 µW/m²
- Source/Device
- 916 MHz
- Exposure Duration
- 6 h a day, 5 days a week, 10 weeks
Exposure Context
This study used 1 µW/m² for radio frequency:
- 100Mx above the Building Biology guideline of 0.1 μW/m²
- 1.7Mx above the BioInitiative Report recommendation of 0.0006 μW/cm²
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 Details
This paper investigated the effect of electromagnetic field on spatial learning and memory in rats.
32 trained Wistar rats were divided into two groups: exposure group and control group. The exposure ...
It can be seen that during the weeks 4–5 of the experiment, the average completion time and error ra...
It indicates that the 916 MHz EMF influence learning and memory in rats to some extent in a period during exposure, and the rats can adapt to long-term EMF exposure.
Show BibTeX
@article{d_2013_effects_of_longterm_electromagnetic_105,
author = {Hao D and Yang L and Chen S and Tong J and Tian Y and Su B and Wu S and Zeng Y},
title = {Effects of long-term electromagnetic field exposure on spatial learning and memory in rats.},
year = {2013},
doi = {10.1007/s10072-012-0970-8},
url = {https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10072-012-0970-8},
}