The Effects of 900 Megahertz Electromagnetic Field Applied in the Prenatal Period on Spinal Cord Morphology and Motor Behavior in Female Rat Pups.
Ersan Odacı, Ayşe İkinci, Mehmet Yıldırım, Haydar Kaya, Metehan Akça, Hatice Hancı, Osman Fikret Sönmez, Ali Aslan, Mukadder Okuyan, Orhan Baş · 2013
View Original AbstractPrenatal exposure to cell phone-frequency EMF caused lasting spinal cord damage and altered motor behavior in offspring.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed pregnant rats to 900 MHz radiofrequency radiation (similar to cell phone frequencies) for one hour daily during late pregnancy, then examined the spinal cord development and motor behavior of their female offspring. The exposed rat pups showed pathological changes in their spinal cord tissue and unexpectedly increased motor activity on behavioral tests. This suggests that prenatal EMF exposure can alter nervous system development in ways that persist after birth.
Why This Matters
This study adds to growing evidence that EMF exposure during critical developmental windows can have lasting neurological effects. The 900 MHz frequency used matches what early 2G cell phones emitted, making these findings particularly relevant to human exposure scenarios. What's especially concerning is that the researchers found structural damage to spinal cord tissue alongside altered motor behavior, suggesting the EMF exposure disrupted normal nervous system development. The increased motor activity in exposed pups might seem positive, but coupled with the observed tissue damage, it likely represents abnormal neurological function rather than enhanced performance. This research underscores why pregnant women should minimize EMF exposure when possible, as the developing nervous system appears particularly vulnerable to radiofrequency radiation during prenatal development.
Exposure Information
Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study. The study examined exposure from: 900 MHz Duration: 1-h daily between days 13 and 21 of pregnancy
Study Details
This study investigated the effect of a 900 megahertz (MHz) electromagnetic field (EMF) applied in the prenatal period on the spinal cord and motor behavior of female rat pups.
Beginning of the study, female Sprague Dawley rats (180-250 g) were left to mate with male rats. Rat...
Rotarod test results revealed a significant increase in EMF group rat pups' motor functions (p=0.037...
On the basis of our results, 900 MHz EMF applied in the prenatal period affected spinal cord development. This effect was observed in the form of pathological changes in the spinal cord of rat pups, and it may be that these pathological changes led to an increase in rat pups' motor activities.
Show BibTeX
@article{odaci_2013_the_effects_of_900_2064,
author = {Ersan Odacı and Ayşe İkinci and Mehmet Yıldırım and Haydar Kaya and Metehan Akça and Hatice Hancı and Osman Fikret Sönmez and Ali Aslan and Mukadder Okuyan and Orhan Baş},
title = {The Effects of 900 Megahertz Electromagnetic Field Applied in the Prenatal Period on Spinal Cord Morphology and Motor Behavior in Female Rat Pups.},
year = {2013},
url = {https://www.researchgate.net/publication/264913463_The_Effects_of_900_Megahertz_Electromagnetic_Field_Applied_in_the_Prenatal_Period_on_Spinal_Cord_Morphology_and_Motor_Behavior_in_Female_Rat_Pups},
}