Neuroprotective effects of melatonin and omega-3 on hippocampal cells prenatally exposed to 900 MHz electromagnetic fields
Erdem Koç G, Kaplan S, Altun G, Gümüş H, Gülsüm Deniz Ö, Aydin I, Emin Onger M, Altunkaynak Z · 2016
View Original AbstractPrenatal cell phone radiation exposure reduced brain neurons in rat offspring, but melatonin and omega-3 supplements provided protection.
Plain English Summary
Pregnant rats exposed to cell phone radiation (900 MHz) for one hour daily had offspring with fewer brain cells in the hippocampus, the memory center. Melatonin and omega-3 supplements during pregnancy prevented this brain damage, suggesting potential protective strategies for human prenatal development.
Why This Matters
This study adds to growing evidence that EMF exposure during critical developmental windows can cause lasting neurological damage. The 900 MHz frequency and SAR level of 2 W/kg used here mirrors typical cell phone exposure, making these findings directly relevant to pregnant women who use mobile devices. What's particularly striking is that the researchers found protective effects from melatonin and omega-3 supplements, suggesting these compounds may help counteract EMF-induced oxidative stress in developing brains. The hippocampal damage observed here could translate to learning and memory problems later in life. While this was an animal study, the consistency with other research showing developmental vulnerabilities to EMF exposure should give pregnant women pause about their wireless device usage patterns.
Exposure Details
- SAR
- 2 W/kg
- Power Density
- 1 µW/m²
- Source/Device
- 900 MHz
- Exposure Duration
- 60 min/day from the 1st to the 21st day of gestation
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
This study used 2 W/kg for SAR (device absorption):
- 5x above the Building Biology guideline of 0.4 W/kg
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
Adverse effects on human health caused by electromagnetic fields (EMF) associated with the use of mobile phones, particularly among young people, are increasing all the time. The potential deleterious effects of EMF exposure resulting from mobile phones being used in close proximity to the brain require particular evaluation. However, only a limited number of studies have investigated the effects of prenatal exposure to EMF in the development of the pyramidal cells using melatonin (MEL) and omega-3 (ω-3).
We established seven groups of pregnant rats consisting of three animals each; control (CONT), SHAM,...
The total number of pyramidal cells in the cornu ammonis (CA) in the EMF group was significantly low...
MEL and ω-3 can protect the cell against neuronal damage in the hippocampus induced by 900 MHz EMF. However, further studies are now needed to evaluate the chronic effects of 900 MHz EMF on the brain in the prenatal period
Show BibTeX
@article{g_2016_neuroprotective_effects_of_melatonin_97,
author = {Erdem Koç G and Kaplan S and Altun G and Gümüş H and Gülsüm Deniz Ö and Aydin I and Emin Onger M and Altunkaynak Z},
title = {Neuroprotective effects of melatonin and omega-3 on hippocampal cells prenatally exposed to 900 MHz electromagnetic fields},
year = {2016},
doi = {10.1080/09553002.2016.1206223},
url = {https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09553002.2016.1206223},
}