Exposure of rat brain to 915 MHz GSM microwaves induces changes in gene expression but not double stranded DNA breaks or effects on chromatin conformation.
Belyaev IY, Koch CB, Terenius O, Roxstrom-Lindquist K, Malmgren LO, H Sommer W, Salford LG, Persson BR · 2006
View Original AbstractCell phone radiation altered brain gene activity in just 2 hours at typical exposure levels, affecting critical functions like sleep regulation.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed rats to cell phone radiation for 2 hours at typical usage levels. While no DNA damage occurred, the radiation altered 12 brain genes controlling neurotransmitters, blood-brain barrier function, and melatonin production, showing that brief phone exposure can trigger biological changes in brain cells.
Why This Matters
This study provides compelling evidence that cell phone radiation affects brain function at the cellular level, even without causing obvious DNA damage. The SAR level of 0.4 mW/g is well within the range of typical cell phone use, making these findings directly relevant to everyday exposure. What's particularly significant is that the affected genes control critical brain functions including the blood-brain barrier, which protects the brain from toxins, and melatonin production, which regulates sleep cycles. The reality is that your brain cells are responding to cell phone radiation in measurable ways, even during short exposures. While the researchers didn't find DNA breaks, the gene expression changes they documented represent clear biological effects that warrant serious consideration when evaluating the safety of wireless devices.
Exposure Details
- SAR
- 0.4 W/kg
- Source/Device
- 915 MHz GSM mobile phone
- Exposure Duration
- 2h
Where This Falls on the Concern Scale
Study Details
We investigated whether exposure of rat brain to microwaves (MWs) of global system for mobile communication (GSM) induces DNA breaks, changes in chromatin conformation and in gene expression.
An exposure installation was used based on a test mobile phone employing a GSM signal at 915 MHz, al...
In cerebellum from all exposed animals, 11 genes were upregulated in a range of 1.34–2.74 fold and o...
The data shows that GSM MWs at 915 MHz did not induce PFGE‐detectable DNA double stranded breaks or changes in chromatin conformation, but affected expression of genes in rat brain cells.
Show BibTeX
@article{iy_2006_exposure_of_rat_brain_30,
author = {Belyaev IY and Koch CB and Terenius O and Roxstrom-Lindquist K and Malmgren LO and H Sommer W and Salford LG and Persson BR},
title = {Exposure of rat brain to 915 MHz GSM microwaves induces changes in gene expression but not double stranded DNA breaks or effects on chromatin conformation.},
year = {2006},
doi = {10.1002/bem.20216},
url = {http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/bem.20216/abstract},
}