Microwave Exposure Impairs Synaptic Plasticity in the Rat Hippocampus and PC12 Cells through Over-activation of the NMDA Receptor Signaling Pathway.
Xiong L, Sun CF, Zhang J, Gao YB, Wang LF, Zuo HY, Wang SM, Zhou HM, Xu XP, Dong J, Yao BW, Zhao L, Peng RY. Microwave Exposure Impairs Synaptic Plasticity in the Rat Hippocampus and PC12 Cells through Over-activation of the NMDA Receptor Signaling Pathway. Biomed Environ Sci. 28(1):13-24, 2015. · 2015
View Original AbstractMicrowave radiation at 30 mW/cm² damaged brain synapses and memory pathways in just three brief exposures.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed rats and nerve cells to microwave radiation at levels similar to wireless devices. The exposure damaged brain synapses (nerve cell connections) and disrupted brain chemicals essential for memory formation, suggesting microwave radiation may impair learning and memory abilities.
Why This Matters
This study provides compelling evidence that microwave radiation can directly impair the brain's fundamental learning and memory processes. The 30 mW/cm² exposure level used here falls within the range of emissions from various wireless devices, making these findings particularly relevant to everyday EMF exposure. What makes this research especially significant is that it identifies the specific biological pathway - NMDA receptor signaling - through which microwaves damage synaptic plasticity. The science demonstrates that even brief exposures (just 10 minutes every other day) can cause measurable changes to brain structure and chemistry. Put simply, this adds to the growing body of evidence that EMF exposure affects cognitive function at the cellular level, not just through heating effects.
Exposure Details
- Power Density
- 30 µW/m²
- Exposure Duration
- 10 min every other day for three times.
Exposure Context
This study used 30 µW/m² for radio frequency:
- 3,000Mx above the Building Biology guideline of 0.1 μW/m²
- 50Mx above the BioInitiative Report recommendation of 0.0006 μW/cm²
Building Biology guidelines are practitioner-based limits from real-world assessments. BioInitiative Report recommendations are based on peer-reviewed science. Check Your Exposure to compare your own measurements.
Where This Falls on the Concern Scale
Study Details
The aim of this study is to investigate whether microwave exposure would affect the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) signaling pathway to establish whether this plays a role in synaptic plasticity impairment.
48 male Wistar rats were exposed to 30 mW/cm2 microwave for 10 min every other day for three times. ...
Microwave exposure caused injury in rat hippocampal structure and PC12 cells, especially the structu...
30 mW/cm2 microwave exposure resulted in alterations of synaptic structure, amino acid neurotransmitter release and calcium influx. NMDAR signaling molecules were closely associated with impaired synaptic plasticity.
Show BibTeX
@article{l_2015_microwave_exposure_impairs_synaptic_1437,
author = {Xiong L and Sun CF and Zhang J and Gao YB and Wang LF and Zuo HY and Wang SM and Zhou HM and Xu XP and Dong J and Yao BW and Zhao L and Peng RY. Microwave Exposure Impairs Synaptic Plasticity in the Rat Hippocampus and PC12 Cells through Over-activation of the NMDA Receptor Signaling Pathway. Biomed Environ Sci. 28(1):13-24 and 2015.},
title = {Microwave Exposure Impairs Synaptic Plasticity in the Rat Hippocampus and PC12 Cells through Over-activation of the NMDA Receptor Signaling Pathway.},
year = {2015},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25566859/},
}