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Modification of acoustic startle by microwave pulses in the rat: a preliminary report.

No Effects Found

Seaman RL, Beblo DA · 1992

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Microwave pulses can alter nervous system responses in rats, but the effects don't increase predictably with intensity.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers exposed rats to intense microwave pulses just before loud sounds to see if the microwaves affected their startle reflex. They found that moderate-intensity microwave pulses delayed and reduced the rats' startle responses, but surprisingly, higher-intensity pulses had no effect. This suggests that microwave radiation can interfere with nervous system responses, but the relationship isn't straightforward.

Study Details

Single, 1.25-GHz microwave pulses of 0.8- to 1.0-microseconds duration were presented to each of fou...

. However, at a higher energy dose per microwave pulse in the range of 59-107 mJ/kg (peak SAR, 63-111 kW/kg), the mean latency and amplitude of the startle response were not statistically different from the respective means of control responses.

Cite This Study
Seaman RL, Beblo DA (1992). Modification of acoustic startle by microwave pulses in the rat: a preliminary report. Bioelectromagnetics 13(4):323-328, 1992.
Show BibTeX
@article{rl_1992_modification_of_acoustic_startle_3387,
  author = {Seaman RL and Beblo DA},
  title = {Modification of acoustic startle by microwave pulses in the rat: a preliminary report.},
  year = {1992},
  
  url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1510741/},
}

Quick Questions About This Study

Researchers exposed rats to intense microwave pulses just before loud sounds to see if the microwaves affected their startle reflex. They found that moderate-intensity microwave pulses delayed and reduced the rats' startle responses, but surprisingly, higher-intensity pulses had no effect. This suggests that microwave radiation can interfere with nervous system responses, but the relationship isn't straightforward.