Exposure to GSM 900 MHz electromagnetic fields affects cerebral cytochrome c oxidase activity
Ammari M, Lecomte A, Sakly M, Abdelmelek H, de-Seze R · 2008
View Original AbstractRats exposed to GSM 900 MHz signals at 6 W/Kg showed decreased cytochrome c oxidase activity in areas of the prefrontal and frontal cortex, septum, hippocampus, and posterior cortex, while exposure at 1.5 W/Kg had no effect.
Plain English Summary
Researchers measured cytochrome oxidase levels in rat brains using histochemical methods to evaluate regional brain metabolic activity after GSM 900 MHz signal exposure. Rats were exposed either for 45 minutes per day at a SAR of 1.5 W/Kg or for 15 minutes per day at a SAR of 6 W/Kg, over seven days. At 6 W/Kg, decreased CO activity was found in areas of the prefrontal and frontal cortex, the hippocampus, and the posterior cortex, while exposure at 1.5 W/Kg did not affect brain activity.
Why This Matters
The study tracked cytochrome oxidase levels to evaluate regional brain metabolic activity in rats. The researchers compared exposed rats against both sham and control cage groups to assess the effect of the GSM signal. At 6 W/Kg, affected regions included the infralimbic cortex, prelimbic cortex, primary motor cortex, secondary motor cortex, and anterior cingulate cortex areas. Decreased CO activity was also found in the septum, hippocampus, and posterior cortex regions including the retrosplenial agranular cortex and primary and secondary visual cortex. The researchers indicated that 6 W/Kg GSM 900 MHz microwaves may affect brain metabolism and neuronal activity in rats.
Exposure Details
- SAR
- 1.5 and 6 W/kg
- Source/Device
- GSM 900 MHz
- Exposure Duration
- continuous seven days (45 min/day,SAR= 1.5 W/kg & 15 min/day,SAR = 6 W/kg)
Exposure Context
This study used 1.5 and 6 W/kg for SAR (device absorption):
- 3.8x above the Building Biology guideline of 0.4 W/kg
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
To investigate exposure to GSM 900 MHz electromagnetic fields affects cerebral cytochrome c oxidase activity
The goal of this study was conducted to measure cytochrome oxidase (CO) levels using histochemical m...
Compared to the sham and control cage groups, rats exposed to a GSM signal at 6 W/Kg showed decrease...
Our results indicate that 6 W/Kg GSM 900 MHz microwaves may affect brain metabolism and neuronal activity in rats
Show BibTeX
@article{m_2008_exposure_to_gsm_900_62,
author = {Ammari M and Lecomte A and Sakly M and Abdelmelek H and de-Seze R},
title = {Exposure to GSM 900 MHz electromagnetic fields affects cerebral cytochrome c oxidase activity},
year = {2008},
url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0300483X0800262X},
}