Microwave irradiation induces neurite outgrowth in PC12m3 cells via the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway.
Inoue S, Motoda H, Koike Y, Kawamura K, Hiragami F, Kano Y. · 2008
View Original AbstractMicrowave radiation at 2.45 GHz triggered 10-fold increase in nerve cell growth, proving EMF directly alters brain cell behavior.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed rat nerve cells (PC12m3) to 2.45 GHz microwave radiation at 200 watts and found it triggered a 10-fold increase in nerve fiber growth compared to unexposed cells. The microwaves activated specific cellular pathways (p38 MAPK) that promote nerve development, and importantly, this effect occurred without causing cell death or damage. This suggests microwave radiation can directly influence nerve cell behavior through non-thermal biological mechanisms.
Why This Matters
This study reveals something significant that the wireless industry rarely discusses: microwave radiation doesn't just heat tissue, it actively triggers biological responses in nerve cells. The 10-fold increase in nerve fiber growth demonstrates that 2.45 GHz radiation (the same frequency used in WiFi routers and microwave ovens) can directly alter cellular behavior through specific molecular pathways. What makes this particularly noteworthy is that these effects occurred without cell death, meaning the radiation was influencing normal cellular processes at sub-lethal levels. While the researchers used 200 watts of power (much higher than typical device exposures), the fact that nerve cells respond so dramatically to microwave radiation raises important questions about chronic, lower-level exposures from the devices we use daily. The science demonstrates that our nervous system cells are not passive recipients of this radiation - they actively respond to it in ways we're only beginning to understand.
Exposure Information
Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study. The study examined exposure from: 2.45 GHz
Study Details
The aim of this study is to investigate Microwave irradiation induces neurite outgrowth in PC12m3 cells via the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway.
We investigated damage and differentiation caused by microwave irradiation on drug-hypersensitive PC...
These cells showed enhancement of neurite outgrowth to various stimulants. The frequency of neurite ...
These findings indicate that p38 MAPK is responsible for the survival of PC12m3 cells and might induce neurite outgrowth via a CREB signaling pathway when subjected to microwave irradiation.
Show BibTeX
@article{s_2008_microwave_irradiation_induces_neurite_2227,
author = {Inoue S and Motoda H and Koike Y and Kawamura K and Hiragami F and Kano Y.},
title = {Microwave irradiation induces neurite outgrowth in PC12m3 cells via the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway.},
year = {2008},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18166272/},
}