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Effects of long-term electromagnetic field exposure on spatial learning and memory in rats.

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Hao D, Yang L, Chen S, Tong J, Tian Y, Su B, Wu S, Zeng Y · 2013

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Exposed rats performed worse on a maze task during weeks 4–5, but the researchers found that rats can adapt to long-term EMF exposure.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers exposed 32 trained Wistar rats to 916 MHz, 10w/m2 electromagnetic field for 6 hours a day, 5 days a week, over 10 weeks, and tested their spatial learning and memory in an eight-arm radial maze each weekend. During weeks 4–5, the exposed rats had longer completion times and higher error rates than the control group, but during weeks 1–3 and 6–9 the two groups were close to each other. The researchers concluded that the 916 MHz EMF influenced learning and memory in rats to some extent in a period during exposure, and that the rats can adapt to long-term EMF exposure.

Why This Matters

The study tracked maze performance week by week, which allowed researchers to see that any effect was not constant across the full exposure period. Hippocampal neurons in exposed rats showed irregular firing patterns and more spikes with shorter interspike intervals during the whole experiment period. Neuron signals were recorded from one exposed rat and one control rat using implanted microelectrode arrays in their hippocampal regions.

Exposure Details

Power Density
1 mW/cm²
Source/Device
916 MHz
Exposure Duration
6 h a day, 5 days a week, 10 weeks

Exposure Context

This study used 1 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: 1 mW/cm²Extreme Concern - 1,000 µW/m²FCC Limit - 10M µW/m²Effects 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 916 MHz exposure sits relative to common EMF sources.Where This Frequency Sits on the EMF SpectrumELFVLFLF / MFHF / VHFUHFSHFmm10 Hz100 GHzThis study: 916 MHzPower lines50/60 Hz5G mm28 GHzLogarithmic 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.

Cite This Study
Hao D, Yang L, Chen S, Tong J, Tian Y, Su B, Wu S, Zeng Y (2013). Effects of long-term electromagnetic field exposure on spatial learning and memory in rats. Neurol Sci 2013; 34 (2): 157-164.
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},
}
DOI: 10.1007/s10072-012-0970-8

Cited By (59 papers)

View all 59 citing papers on Semantic Scholar

Quick Questions About This Study

The rats were exposed to a 916 MHz, 10w/m2 electromagnetic field.
Rats searched for food in an eight-arm radial maze, with completion time and number of errors recorded each weekend.
During weeks 4–5, the exposed group had longer completion times and higher error rates than the control group.
The researchers stated that the rats can adapt to long-term EMF exposure, with performance during weeks 1–3 and 6–9 close to that of controls.
Hippocampal neurons showed irregular firing patterns and more spikes with shorter interspike interval during the whole experiment period.