Impairment of long-term potentiation induction is essential for the disruption of spatial memory after microwave exposure
Wang H, Peng R, Zhou H, Wang S, Gao Y, Wang L, Yong Z, Zuo H, Zhao L, Dong J, Xu X, Su Z · 2013
View Original AbstractSix minutes of microwave exposure damaged rats' memory and brain structure at power levels comparable to some wireless devices.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed rats to microwave radiation at 2.856 GHz for 6 minutes and tested their memory using a water maze. Rats exposed to higher power levels (10 and 50 mW/cm²) showed significant memory problems and brain damage, including damaged brain cells and disrupted connections between neurons. The study reveals that microwave exposure can impair the brain's ability to form memories by damaging the hippocampus, the brain region critical for learning.
Why This Matters
This research provides compelling evidence that microwave radiation can directly impair memory formation through measurable brain damage. The power densities that caused cognitive deficits (10-50 mW/cm²) are within range of what you might encounter from some wireless devices held close to your head, though the specific frequency tested differs from common consumer electronics. What makes this study particularly significant is that it identifies the biological mechanism behind memory problems - the researchers found actual structural damage to brain cells and the connections between them. The fact that these effects occurred after just 6 minutes of exposure should give us pause about chronic, repeated exposures from everyday wireless technology use.
Exposure Details
- Power Density
- 0, 5, 10, and 50 µW/m²
- Source/Device
- 2.856 GHz
- Exposure Duration
- 6 min
Exposure Context
This study used 0, 5, 10, and 50 µW/m² for radio frequency:
- 500Mx above the Building Biology guideline of 0.1 μW/m²
- 8.3Mx 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
To assess the impact of microwave exposure on learning and memory and to explore the underlying mechanisms.
100 Wistar rats were exposed to a 2.856 GHz pulsed microwave field at average power densities of 0 m...
Our results showed that the rats exposed in 10 mW/cm2 and 50 mW/cm2 microwave displayed significant ...
This study suggested that impairment of LTP induction and the damages of hippocampal structure, especially changes of synapses, might contribute to cognitive impairment after microwave exposure.
Show BibTeX
@article{h_2013_impairment_of_longterm_potentiation_197,
author = {Wang H and Peng R and Zhou H and Wang S and Gao Y and Wang L and Yong Z and Zuo H and Zhao L and Dong J and Xu X and Su Z},
title = {Impairment of long-term potentiation induction is essential for the disruption of spatial memory after microwave exposure},
year = {2013},
doi = {10.3109/09553002.2013.817701},
url = {https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3109/09553002.2013.817701},
}