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[Effects of nano-selenium on cognition performance of mice exposed in 1800 MHz radiofrequency fields].

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Qin F, Yuan H, Nie J, Cao Y, Tong J. · 2014

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Cell phone radiation at everyday exposure levels impaired learning and memory in mice, but antioxidant supplements prevented the damage.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers exposed mice to cell phone radiation at 1800 MHz (the frequency used by GSM networks) for either 30 or 120 minutes daily over 30 days. Mice exposed for 120 minutes showed significant learning and memory problems, along with brain chemistry changes indicating oxidative stress. When researchers gave the mice nano-selenium supplements, the cognitive damage was largely prevented.

Why This Matters

This study adds to mounting evidence that radiofrequency radiation can impair brain function through oxidative stress mechanisms. The exposure level of 208 microW/cm² is well within the range of everyday cell phone use, making these cognitive effects particularly relevant for heavy phone users. What makes this research especially significant is the demonstration that the brain damage appears preventable through antioxidant intervention. The fact that nano-selenium protected against RF-induced memory problems suggests the underlying mechanism involves free radical damage to brain cells. This aligns with dozens of other studies showing similar cognitive effects from RF exposure, despite industry claims that such low-level radiation is harmless.

Exposure Details

Power Density
0.208 µW/m²
Source/Device
1800 MHz
Exposure Duration
(0, 30 and 120 min/d respectively) for 30 days

Exposure Context

This study used 0.208 µW/m² 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: 0.208 µW/m²Extreme Concern - 1,000 uW/m2FCC Limit - 10M uW/m2Effects observed in the Slight Concern rangeFCC limit is 48,076,923x higher than this level
A logarithmic frequency spectrum from 10 Hz to 100 GHz showing where this study's 1.80 GHz exposure sits relative to common EMF sources.Where This Frequency Sits on the EMF SpectrumELFVLFLF / MFHF / VHFUHFSHFmm10 Hz100 GHzThis study: 1.80 GHzPower lines50/60 Hz5G mm28 GHzLogarithmic scale

Study Details

To study the effects of nano-selenium (NSe) on cognition performance of mice exposed to 1800 MHz radiofrequency fields (RF).

Male mice were randomly divided into four groups, control and nano-Se low, middle and high dose grou...

Significant impairments in learning and memory (P < 0.05) were observed in the RF 120 min group, and...

NSe could improve cognitive impairments of mice exposed to RF, the mechanism of which might involve the increasing antioxidation, decreasing free radical content and the changes of cerebra neurotransmitters.

Cite This Study
Qin F, Yuan H, Nie J, Cao Y, Tong J. (2014). [Effects of nano-selenium on cognition performance of mice exposed in 1800 MHz radiofrequency fields]. Wei Sheng Yan Jiu. 43(1):16-21, 2014.
Show BibTeX
@article{f_2014_effects_of_nanoselenium_on_565,
  author = {Qin F and Yuan H and Nie J and Cao Y and Tong J.},
  title = {[Effects of nano-selenium on cognition performance of mice exposed in 1800 MHz radiofrequency fields].},
  year = {2014},
  
  url = {https://europepmc.org/article/med/24564105},
}
PubMed: 24564105

Cited By (9 papers)

Quick Questions About This Study

Yes, mice exposed to 1800 MHz radiation for 120 minutes daily showed significant learning and memory impairments after 30 days. The study found brain chemistry changes indicating oxidative stress, with reduced acetylcholine levels and altered neurotransmitter balance affecting cognitive performance.
Research shows nano-selenium supplements largely prevented cognitive damage in mice exposed to 1800 MHz radiation. The selenium enhanced cognitive performance, reduced harmful brain chemicals, and increased protective antioxidant activity, suggesting it may counteract radiation-induced brain oxidative stress.
In this mouse study, 120 minutes of daily 1800 MHz exposure for 30 days caused significant learning and memory problems. However, mice exposed for only 30 minutes daily showed no cognitive impairments, suggesting duration matters for brain effects.
1800 MHz radiation exposure altered key brain chemicals including reduced acetylcholine (important for memory), increased GABA and glutamate neurotransmitters, and elevated MDA indicating oxidative damage. Protective antioxidant enzymes CAT and GSH-Px also decreased, showing compromised brain defense systems.
Yes, the study found 1800 MHz GSM radiation caused significant oxidative stress in mouse brains. This included increased harmful MDA levels and decreased protective antioxidant enzymes, indicating the brain's natural defense systems were overwhelmed by free radical damage from radiation exposure.