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Brain & Nervous System

Expression of the water channel protein, aquaporin-4, in mouse brains exposed to mobile telephone radiofrequency fields.

No Effects Found

Finnie JW, Blumbergs PC, Cai Z, Manavis J. · 2009

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Two years of cell phone radiation exposure at 4 W/kg showed no blood-brain barrier damage in mice, higher than typical phone use.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers exposed mice to cell phone radiation (900 MHz) for either one hour or repeatedly over two years to see if it would damage the blood-brain barrier - the protective shield that keeps toxins out of the brain. They looked for increased levels of aquaporin-4, a protein that indicates barrier damage. The study found no changes in this protein after either short-term or long-term exposure, suggesting the blood-brain barrier remained intact.

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 minutes or a similar exposure on 5 successive days/week for 104 weeks.

Study Details

To determine whether exposure to mobile telephone radiofrequency (RF) fields, either acutely or long-term, produces up-regulation of the water channel protein, aquaporin-4 (AQP-4).

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

There was no increase in AQP-4 expression in brains exposed to mobile phone microwaves compared to c...

Brains exposed to mobile telephone RF fields for a short (60 minutes) or long (2 years) duration did not show any immunohistochemically detectable up-regulation of the water channel protein, AQP-4, suggesting that there was no significant increase in blood-brain barrier permeability

Cite This Study
Finnie JW, Blumbergs PC, Cai Z, Manavis J. (2009). Expression of the water channel protein, aquaporin-4, in mouse brains exposed to mobile telephone radiofrequency fields. Pathology. 41(5):473-475, 2009.
Show BibTeX
@article{jw_2009_expression_of_the_water_3022,
  author = {Finnie JW and Blumbergs PC and Cai Z and Manavis J.},
  title = {Expression of the water channel protein, aquaporin-4, in mouse brains exposed to mobile telephone radiofrequency fields.},
  year = {2009},
  
  url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19396718/},
}
PubMed: 19396718

Cited By (12 papers)

Quick Questions About This Study

No, researchers found no increase in aquaporin-4 protein levels in mouse brains after both short-term (1 hour) and long-term (2 years) exposure to 900 MHz cell phone radiation, suggesting the blood-brain barrier remained intact and undamaged.
A 2009 study found no evidence that two years of 900 MHz cell phone radiation damaged the blood-brain barrier in mice. Researchers measured aquaporin-4 protein levels, which indicate barrier damage, and found no changes compared to unexposed animals.
Brain water channels (aquaporin-4 proteins) showed no changes after mobile phone radiation exposure in this study. Mice exposed to 900 MHz radiation for either one hour or two years had normal protein levels, indicating healthy blood-brain barrier function.
Researchers used two exposure periods: short-term exposure of one hour and long-term exposure over two years. Both groups showed no increase in aquaporin-4 protein, indicating the blood-brain barrier remained undamaged after either duration of 900 MHz exposure.
This 2009 study found no evidence that mobile telephone radiofrequency (900 MHz) increased brain barrier permeability in mice. Researchers detected no changes in aquaporin-4 protein expression after both short and long-term exposures, suggesting barrier integrity remained normal.