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Brain & Nervous System

Cerebral radiofrequency exposures during adolescence: Impact on astrocytes and brain functions in healthy and pathologic rat models.

No Effects Found

Petitdant N, Lecomte A, Robidel F, Gamez C, Blazy K, Villégier AS · 2016

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Adolescent rats showed no brain or behavioral changes from month-long RF exposure at cell phone levels, even when made vulnerable through inflammation.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

French researchers exposed adolescent rats to radiofrequency radiation at levels similar to cell phone use (1.5 and 6 W/kg SAR) for 45 minutes daily over a month to see if it affected brain development, anxiety, or memory. They found no differences between exposed and unexposed rats, even in animals made more vulnerable through induced brain inflammation. The study suggests adolescent brains may not be as sensitive to RF radiation as some have theorized.

Study Details

Here, we used rats to assess whether astrocyte reactivity, perception, and emotionality were affected by RF EMF exposures during adolescence. We also investigated if adolescent brains were more sensitive to RF EMF exposures after neurodevelopmental inflammation.

To do so, we either performed 80 μg/kg intra-peritoneal injections of lipopolysaccharides during ges...

Our results did not show any neurobiological impairment in healthy and vulnerable RF EMF-exposed rat...

These data did not support the hypothesis of a specific cerebral sensitivity to RF EMF of adolescents, even after a neurodevelopmental inflammation.

Cite This Study
Petitdant N, Lecomte A, Robidel F, Gamez C, Blazy K, Villégier AS (2016). Cerebral radiofrequency exposures during adolescence: Impact on astrocytes and brain functions in healthy and pathologic rat models. Bioelectromagnetics. 37(5):338-350, 2016.
Show BibTeX
@article{n_2016_cerebral_radiofrequency_exposures_during_3302,
  author = {Petitdant N and Lecomte A and Robidel F and Gamez C and Blazy K and Villégier AS},
  title = {Cerebral radiofrequency exposures during adolescence: Impact on astrocytes and brain functions in healthy and pathologic rat models.},
  year = {2016},
  
  url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27272062/},
}
PubMed: 27272062

Cited By (14 papers)

Quick Questions About This Study

A 2016 French study found no evidence that cell phone radiation affects teenage brain development. Researchers exposed adolescent rats to RF radiation at cell phone levels for a month and found no differences in brain structure, anxiety, or memory compared to unexposed animals.
Research suggests adolescent brains may not be as vulnerable to RF radiation as previously thought. A controlled study exposing teenage rats to cell phone-level radiation for 45 minutes daily over a month found no neurobiological impairments or behavioral changes.
Current evidence doesn't support this concern. French researchers tested whether RF radiation causes brain inflammation in adolescent rats, including animals with pre-existing brain inflammation. They found no additional neurobiological damage from the radiofrequency exposure at typical cell phone levels.
A 2016 study found no measurable brain risks from phone radiation in adolescent subjects. Researchers exposed teenage rats to RF radiation at levels similar to heavy cell phone use and detected no changes in brain function, structure, or behavior.
Research indicates RF exposure at cell phone levels doesn't impair adolescent memory. A month-long study exposing teenage rats to radiofrequency radiation found no differences in memory performance compared to unexposed controls, even in animals with compromised brain health.