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Melatonin modulates wireless (2.45 GHz)-induced oxidative injury through TRPM2 and voltage gated Ca(2+) channels in brain and dorsal root ganglion in rat.

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Nazıroğlu M, Çelik Ö, Özgül C, Çiğ B, Doğan S, Bal R, Gümral N, Rodríguez AB, Pariente JA. · 2012

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WiFi radiation damaged rat brains at power levels below many cell phones, but melatonin supplementation provided significant protection.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers exposed rats to 2.45 GHz radiation (the same frequency used in WiFi and microwave ovens) for one hour daily over 30 days and found it caused brain damage including increased calcium levels in neurons, oxidative stress, and abnormal brain wave patterns. However, when rats were given melatonin supplements, these harmful effects were significantly reduced, suggesting melatonin may protect against WiFi radiation damage to the brain and nervous system.

Why This Matters

This study adds important evidence to the growing body of research showing that WiFi-frequency radiation can damage brain tissue at power levels well below current safety limits. The SAR levels used (0.1-0.143 W/kg) are actually lower than many cell phones, yet still produced measurable neurological harm after just 30 days of exposure. What makes this research particularly significant is the protective effect of melatonin, which suggests the damage occurs through oxidative stress pathways that can potentially be mitigated. The science demonstrates that our brains are vulnerable to the very frequencies we're exposed to daily through WiFi routers, laptops, and other wireless devices. While this study used rats, the biological mechanisms involved - calcium channel disruption and oxidative stress - are fundamental processes shared across mammals, making the findings highly relevant to human health.

Exposure Details

SAR
0.143, 0.1 W/kg
Power Density
0.0001 µW/m²
Electric Field
11 V/m
Source/Device
2.45 GHz
Exposure Duration
1 h/day on 30 days

Exposure Context

This study used 0.0001 µW/m² for radio frequency:

This study used 11 V/m for electric fields:

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 Exposure Level in ContextA logarithmic scale showing exposure levels relative to Building Biology concern thresholds and regulatory limits.Study Exposure Level in ContextThis study: 0.0001 µW/m²Extreme Concern1,000 uW/m2FCC Limit10M uW/m2Effects observed in the No Concern range (Building Biology)FCC limit is 100,000,000,000x higher than this exposure level

Study Details

We aimed to investigate the protective effects of melatonin and 2.45 GHz electromagnetic radiation (EMR) on brain and dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neuron antioxidant redox system, Ca2+ influx, cell viability and electroencephalography (EEG) records in the rat.

Thirty two rats were equally divided into four different groups namely group A1: Cage control, group...

Lipid peroxidation (LP), cell viability and cytosolic Ca2+ values in DRG neurons were higher in grou...

In conclusion, Melatonin supplementation in DRG neurons and brain seems to have protective effects on the 2.45 GHz-induced increase Ca2+ influx, EEG records and cell viability of the hormone through TRPM2 and voltage gated Ca2+ channels.

Cite This Study
Nazıroğlu M, Çelik Ö, Özgül C, Çiğ B, Doğan S, Bal R, Gümral N, Rodríguez AB, Pariente JA. (2012). Melatonin modulates wireless (2.45 GHz)-induced oxidative injury through TRPM2 and voltage gated Ca(2+) channels in brain and dorsal root ganglion in rat. Physiol Behav. 105(3):683-692, 2012.
Show BibTeX
@article{m_2012_melatonin_modulates_wireless_245_154,
  author = {Nazıroğlu M and Çelik Ö and Özgül C and Çiğ B and Doğan S and Bal R and Gümral N and Rodríguez AB and Pariente JA.},
  title = {Melatonin modulates wireless (2.45 GHz)-induced oxidative injury through TRPM2 and voltage gated Ca(2+) channels in brain and dorsal root ganglion in rat.},
  year = {2012},
  
  url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0031938411004823},
}

Quick Questions About This Study

Researchers exposed rats to 2.45 GHz radiation (the same frequency used in WiFi and microwave ovens) for one hour daily over 30 days and found it caused brain damage including increased calcium levels in neurons, oxidative stress, and abnormal brain wave patterns. However, when rats were given melatonin supplements, these harmful effects were significantly reduced, suggesting melatonin may protect against WiFi radiation damage to the brain and nervous system.