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Brain & Nervous System

Expression of the immediate early gene, c-fos, in fetal brain after whole of gestation exposure of pregnant mice to global system for mobile communication microwaves.

No Effects Found

Finnie JW, Cai Z, Blumbergs PC, Manavis J, Kuchel TR. · 2006

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Prenatal exposure to high-level cell phone radiation showed no brain stress markers in this mouse study, though broader developmental effects remain unclear.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers exposed pregnant mice to 900 MHz cell phone radiation for one hour daily throughout pregnancy to see if it would stress developing fetal brains. They measured c-fos, a protein that appears when brain cells are under stress. The study found no difference in stress markers between exposed and unexposed fetal brains, suggesting this level of radiation didn't cause detectable neural stress during development.

Exposure Information

A logarithmic frequency spectrum from 10 Hz to 100 GHz showing where this study's 900 MHz exposure sits relative to common EMF sources.Where This Frequency Sits on the EMF SpectrumELFVLFLF / MFHF / VHFUHFSHFmm10 Hz100 GHzThis study: 900 MHzPower lines50/60 Hz5G mm28 GHzLogarithmic scale

The study examined exposure from: 900 MHz Duration: 60 min/day from day 1 to day 19

Study Details

To study immediate early gene, c-fos, expression as a marker of neural stress after whole of gestation exposure of the fetal mouse brain to mobile telephone-type radiofrequency fields.

Using a purpose-designed exposure system at 900 MHz, pregnant mice were given a single, far-field, w...

c-fos expression was of limited, but consistent, neuroanatomical distribution and there was no diffe...

In this animal model, no stress response was detected in the fetal brain using c-fos immunohistochemistry after whole of gestation exposure to mobile telephony.

Cite This Study
Finnie JW, Cai Z, Blumbergs PC, Manavis J, Kuchel TR. (2006). Expression of the immediate early gene, c-fos, in fetal brain after whole of gestation exposure of pregnant mice to global system for mobile communication microwaves. Pathology. 38(4):333-335, 2006.
Show BibTeX
@article{jw_2006_expression_of_the_immediate_3020,
  author = {Finnie JW and Cai Z and Blumbergs PC and Manavis J and Kuchel TR.},
  title = {Expression of the immediate early gene, c-fos, in fetal brain after whole of gestation exposure of pregnant mice to global system for mobile communication microwaves.},
  year = {2006},
  
  url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16916723/},
}
PubMed: 16916723

Cited By (27 papers)

Quick Questions About This Study

A 2006 study found no harm to fetal brain development from daily 900 MHz cell phone radiation exposure throughout pregnancy. Researchers exposed pregnant mice to one hour daily of GSM signals and found no difference in brain stress markers between exposed and unexposed fetuses.
Research shows c-fos protein levels did not increase in fetal brains after whole-pregnancy exposure to 900 MHz radiation. The 2006 study used c-fos immunohistochemistry as a stress marker and found no difference between radiation-exposed and control fetal mouse brains.
One hour daily GSM exposure throughout pregnancy produced no detectable stress response in developing brain cells. The 2006 Finnie study measured cellular stress markers in fetal mouse brains and found identical patterns between exposed and unexposed groups.
A controlled animal study suggests whole gestation mobile phone radiation exposure may not harm brain development. Researchers found no stress response in fetal brains after continuous 900 MHz exposure throughout pregnancy, though more research is needed for definitive conclusions.
Stress proteins did not increase in fetal brains from simulated maternal cell phone use in this animal model. The 2006 research exposed pregnant mice to 900 MHz radiation daily and found no elevation of c-fos stress markers in developing fetal brain tissue.