[Effect of 900 MHz electromagnetic fields on the expression of GABA receptor of cerebral cortical neurons in postnatal rats]
Wang Q, Cao ZJ, Bai XT. · 2005
View Original Abstract900 MHz radiation at cell phone-relevant levels significantly disrupted brain receptor function in developing neurons, suggesting potential impacts on neural development.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed developing rat brain cells to 900 MHz radiation from older cell phones for up to 12 hours. The radiation significantly disrupted GABA receptors, brain chemicals that control neural activity, suggesting cell phone frequencies can alter fundamental brain chemistry during development.
Why This Matters
This study adds to mounting evidence that radiofrequency radiation affects brain chemistry at the cellular level. GABA receptors are essential for proper brain function - they help calm neural activity and prevent overstimulation. When these receptors are disrupted, it can affect everything from sleep and anxiety to cognitive function. The SAR levels used (1.15-3.22 mW/g) fall within the range of what cell phones can produce, making this research directly relevant to human exposure. What makes this study particularly significant is the 'power window' effect the researchers observed - meaning the biological impact varied depending on the specific radiation intensity, not simply increasing with higher power. This suggests the brain's response to EMF is complex and that even relatively low exposures can trigger biological changes. The fact that this occurred in developing neurons is especially concerning, as the developing brain is more vulnerable to environmental influences.
Exposure Details
- SAR
- 1.15 - 3.22 W/kg
- Source/Device
- 900 MHz
- Exposure Duration
- 2 hours per day in 6 consecutive days and for 12 hours at one time
Exposure Context
This study used 1.15 - 3.22 W/kg for SAR (device absorption):
- 2.9x 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 the effects of 900 MHz microwave electromagnetic fields (EMF) on the expression of neurotransmitter GABA receptor of cerebral cortical neurons in postnatal rats.
Neurons were exposed to 900 MHz continuous microwave EMF (SAR = 1.15 - 3.22mW/g) for 2 hours per day...
Significant changes had been observed in exposed neurons in the expression of GABA receptor. (P < 0....
The expression of GABA receptor of neurons were significantly regulated by 900 MHz microwave, and a power "window" effect was observed in the exposed neurons.
Show BibTeX
@article{q_2005_effect_of_900_mhz_1426,
author = {Wang Q and Cao ZJ and Bai XT.},
title = {[Effect of 900 MHz electromagnetic fields on the expression of GABA receptor of cerebral cortical neurons in postnatal rats]},
year = {2005},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16329593/},
}