Spatial learning, monoamines and oxidative stress in rats exposed to 900 MHz electromagnetic field in combination with iron overload
Maaroufi K, Had-Aissouni L, Melon C, Sakly M, Abdelmelek H, Poucet B, Save E. · 2013
View Original AbstractCell phone radiation impaired rats' cognitive performance and altered brain chemistry after just three weeks of daily exposure.
Plain English Summary
French researchers exposed rats to cell phone radiation (900 MHz) for one hour daily over three weeks and tested their cognitive abilities using various learning tasks. The rats showed impaired performance on exploratory tasks and changes in brain chemicals, particularly in the hippocampus region crucial for memory. This suggests that even moderate exposure to cell phone radiation can affect brain function and cognitive performance.
Why This Matters
This study adds important evidence to the growing body of research showing that radiofrequency radiation affects brain function at levels similar to what we encounter from cell phones. The 900 MHz frequency used is identical to GSM cell phone signals, making these findings directly relevant to everyday exposure. What's particularly significant is that the cognitive deficits appeared in tasks measuring spontaneous exploration and learning - fundamental brain processes that could impact daily functioning. The changes in brain chemistry, especially in the hippocampus, align with other research showing EMF effects on memory-related brain regions. While the researchers didn't find that iron overload worsened the effects, the fact that EMF alone produced measurable cognitive impairment reinforces concerns about chronic exposure to wireless radiation.
Exposure Information
Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study. The study examined exposure from: 900 MHz Duration: 1 hour per day for 21 consecutive days
Study Details
The objective of the study was thus to examine whether combined 900 MHz EMF exposure and systemic iron overload produces greater cognitive and brain biochemical effects than each treatment separately.
To examine the hypothesis, Long-Evans rats submitted to 900 MHz exposure or combined 900 MHz EMF and...
Rats exposed to EMF were impaired in the object exploration task but not in the navigation and worki...
These results show that there is an impact of EMF on the brain and cognitive processes but this impact is revealed only in a task exploiting spontaneous exploratory activity. In contrast, there are no synergistic effects between EMF and a high content of iron in the brain.
Show BibTeX
@article{k_2013_spatial_learning_monoamines_and_1561,
author = {Maaroufi K and Had-Aissouni L and Melon C and Sakly M and Abdelmelek H and Poucet B and Save E. },
title = {Spatial learning, monoamines and oxidative stress in rats exposed to 900 MHz electromagnetic field in combination with iron overload},
year = {2013},
url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0166432813006244},
}