The effect of pulsed electromagnetic radiation from mobile phone on the levels of monoamine neurotransmitters in four different areas of rat brain.
Aboul Ezz HS, Khadrawy YA, Ahmed NA, Radwan NM, El Bakry MM. · 2013
View Original AbstractCell phone radiation at typical usage levels disrupted brain chemicals controlling mood and memory in rats after just one month of exposure.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed rats to cell phone radiation (1800 MHz, similar to 2G networks) for up to 4 months and measured key brain chemicals called neurotransmitters that control mood, memory, and learning. The radiation significantly altered levels of dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine across four different brain regions. These chemical changes could explain why some people report memory problems, learning difficulties, and increased stress after heavy cell phone use.
Why This Matters
This study adds crucial evidence to our understanding of how cell phone radiation affects brain chemistry at the most fundamental level. The researchers used exposure levels (SAR of 0.843 W/kg) that are well within current safety limits and similar to what your brain experiences during typical cell phone calls. What makes this research particularly significant is that it examined multiple brain regions and tracked changes over extended periods, showing that neurotransmitter disruption persists and even worsens with longer exposure. The fact that these chemical imbalances continued even after a month of no exposure suggests the changes may not be easily reversible. Put simply, this research provides a biological mechanism for the cognitive and mood-related symptoms that many heavy cell phone users report.
Exposure Details
- SAR
- 0.843 W/kg
- Power Density
- 0.02 µW/m²
- Source/Device
- 1800 MHz modulated at 217 Hz
- Exposure Duration
- 1, 2 and 4 months of daily EMR exposure
Exposure Context
This study used 0.02 µW/m² for radio frequency:
- 2Mx above the Building Biology guideline of 0.1 μW/m²
- 33.3Kx above the BioInitiative Report recommendation of 0.0006 μW/cm²
This study used 0.843 W/kg for SAR (device absorption):
- 2.1x 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
The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of EMR on the concentrations of dopamine (DA), norepinephrine (NE) and serotonin (5-HT) in the hippocampus, hypothalamus, midbrain and medulla oblongata of adult rats.
Adult rats were exposed daily to EMR (frequency 1800 MHz, specific absorption rate 0.843 W/kg, power...
The exposure to EMR resulted in significant changes in DA, NE and 5-HT in the four selected areas of...
The exposure of adult rats to EMR may cause disturbances in monoamine neurotransmitters and this may underlie many of the adverse effects reported after EMR including memory, learning, and stress.
Show BibTeX
@article{hs_2013_the_effect_of_pulsed_787,
author = {Aboul Ezz HS and Khadrawy YA and Ahmed NA and Radwan NM and El Bakry MM.},
title = {The effect of pulsed electromagnetic radiation from mobile phone on the levels of monoamine neurotransmitters in four different areas of rat brain.},
year = {2013},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23852905/},
}