Effect of Low-Intensity Microwave Radiation on Monoamine Neurotransmitters and Their Key Regulating Enzymes in Rat Brain.
Megha K, Deshmukh PS, Ravi AK, Tripathi AK, Abegaonkar MP, Banerjee BD. · 2015
View Original AbstractCell phone radiation significantly reduced critical brain neurotransmitters in rats at exposure levels similar to everyday wireless device use.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed rats to cell phone radiation for 30 days and found significant decreases in brain chemicals like dopamine and serotonin that control mood and memory. This suggests wireless device radiation could potentially disrupt how brain cells communicate with each other.
Why This Matters
This study provides compelling evidence that microwave radiation at levels similar to those emitted by cell phones can disrupt fundamental brain chemistry. The researchers found decreased levels of dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin in the hippocampus, the brain region critical for learning and memory formation. What makes this particularly significant is that these effects occurred at very low power levels, with SAR values around 0.0006 W/kg, which is well below current safety limits but representative of real-world exposure from wireless devices held near the head. The fact that the study identified changes at both the molecular level (gene expression) and the functional level (neurotransmitter concentrations) strengthens the biological plausibility of these effects. This research adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting that our current safety standards may not adequately protect against neurological impacts from chronic low-level EMF exposure.
Exposure Details
- SAR
- 0.0005953, 0.0005835 W/kg
- Source/Device
- 900 MHz and 1800 MHz
- Exposure Duration
- 30 days (2 h/day, 5 days/week)
Where This Falls on the Concern Scale
Study Details
The aim of the study was to demonstrate the effect of low-intensity microwave radiation on levels of monoamine neurotransmitters and gene expression of their key regulating enzymes in brain of Fischer rats.
Animals were exposed to 900 MHz and 1800 MHz microwave radiation for 30 days (2 h/day, 5 days/week) ...
Results showed significant reduction in levels of DA, NE, E and 5-HT in hippocampus of microwave-exp...
In conclusion, the results indicate that low-intensity microwave radiation may cause learning and memory disturbances by altering levels of brain monoamine neurotransmitters at mRNA and protein levels.
Show BibTeX
@article{k_2015_effect_of_lowintensity_microwave_1200,
author = {Megha K and Deshmukh PS and Ravi AK and Tripathi AK and Abegaonkar MP and Banerjee BD.},
title = {Effect of Low-Intensity Microwave Radiation on Monoamine Neurotransmitters and Their Key Regulating Enzymes in Rat Brain.},
year = {2015},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25672490/},
}