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Brain & Nervous SystemPart of the Glaser Archive

EFFECT OF 2450 MHz MICROWAVE FIELDS ON PERIPHERAL NERVES

No Effects Found

C.K. CHOU, ARTHUR W. GUY · 1973

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Isolated peripheral nerves showed no functional changes when exposed to 2450 MHz microwave radiation in laboratory conditions.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers exposed isolated peripheral nerves to 2450 MHz microwave radiation in a controlled laboratory setting, testing both continuous and pulsed signals at various power levels. The study found no significant changes in nerve function or characteristics after exposure. This early research suggested that nerve tissue could withstand microwave exposure at the frequencies tested.

Finding

Exposure of the frog and cat nerves did not result in any amplitude, conduction velocity, or excitability changes during the time that the constant temperature circulator was on for any level of either CW or pulsed power.

In their words

“Exposure of the frog and cat nerves did not result in any amplitude, conduction velocity, or excitability changes during the time that the constant temperature circulator was on for any level of either CW or pulsed power.”

Figures from the Original Paper

Diagram extracted from the original research document.

graphPage 5 - Figure 4 illustrates the overheating effect on nerve action potentials due to microwave radiation during periods when a circulator was off.
p. 5 of the original PDF
Cite This Study
C.K. CHOU, ARTHUR W. GUY (1973). EFFECT OF 2450 MHz MICROWAVE FIELDS ON PERIPHERAL NERVES.
Show BibTeX
@article{effect_of_2450_mhz_microwave_fields_on_peripheral_nerves_g3935,
  author = {C.K. CHOU and ARTHUR W. GUY},
  title = {EFFECT OF 2450 MHz MICROWAVE FIELDS ON PERIPHERAL NERVES},
  year = {1973},
  
  
}
No DOI on file for this study.

Quick Questions About This Study

Researchers tested 2450 MHz microwave radiation, the same frequency used in microwave ovens. They exposed isolated peripheral nerves to both continuous wave and pulsed signals at this frequency in controlled laboratory conditions.
The study used power densities from 0.003 to 30 W/cc, with peak exposures thousands of times higher than typical consumer electronics. Most cell phones and WiFi devices operate at much lower power levels than tested.
The nerves were isolated and placed in temperature-controlled Ringer's solution in a waveguide, not tested within living organisms. This artificial setup doesn't reflect how nerves function in the body's complex biological environment.
No significant differences were found between continuous wave and pulsed 2450 MHz exposures. Both types of signals failed to produce measurable changes in the peripheral nerve characteristics that researchers monitored.
The study measured nerve characteristics and function, though specific parameters aren't detailed in the available abstract. Researchers found no significant changes in any measured nerve properties after microwave exposure.