Reduction of Phosphorylated Synapsin I (Ser-553) Leads to Spatial Memory Impairment by Attenuating GABA Release after Microwave Exposure in Wistar Rats
Qiao S, Peng R, Yan H, Gao Y, Wang C, Wang S, Zou Y, Xu X, Zhao L, Dong J, Su Z, Feng X, Wang L, Hu X · 2014
View Original AbstractFive minutes of microwave exposure disrupted brain chemistry and memory in rats at power levels comparable to cell phone use.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed rats to microwave radiation for 5 minutes and found it impaired their spatial memory and learning abilities. The study revealed that this cognitive damage occurred because the radiation disrupted a key brain protein (phosphorylated synapsin I) that helps release GABA, a crucial neurotransmitter for brain function. This suggests that even brief microwave exposure can interfere with the brain's chemical communication system, potentially affecting memory and learning.
Why This Matters
This research provides crucial mechanistic evidence for how microwave radiation damages cognitive function at the cellular level. The study demonstrates that just 5 minutes of exposure at 30 mW/cm² disrupts the brain's neurotransmitter release system, specifically affecting GABA - a critical chemical messenger for memory formation. What makes this particularly concerning is that 30 mW/cm² falls within the range of exposures from common wireless devices held close to the head. The researchers identified the exact protein pathway involved, showing this isn't just correlation but a clear biological mechanism. This adds to the growing body of evidence that EMF exposure can interfere with brain chemistry in ways that affect our daily cognitive performance.
Exposure Details
- Power Density
- 30 µW/m²
- Exposure Duration
- 5 min
Exposure Context
This study used 30 µW/m² for radio frequency:
- 3,000Mx above the Building Biology guideline of 0.1 μW/m²
- 50Mx above the BioInitiative Report recommendation of 0.0006 μW/cm²
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
This study investigated the mechanism of this effect by exploring the potential role of phosphorylated synapsin I (p-Syn I).
Wistar rats, rat hippocampal synaptosomes, and differentiated (neuronal) PC12 cells were exposed to ...
In the rat experiments, there was a decrease in spatial memory performance after microwave exposure....
p-Syn I (ser-553) was found to play a key role in the impaired GABA release and cognitive dysfunction that was induced by microwave exposure.
Show BibTeX
@article{s_2014_reduction_of_phosphorylated_synapsin_170,
author = {Qiao S and Peng R and Yan H and Gao Y and Wang C and Wang S and Zou Y and Xu X and Zhao L and Dong J and Su Z and Feng X and Wang L and Hu X},
title = {Reduction of Phosphorylated Synapsin I (Ser-553) Leads to Spatial Memory Impairment by Attenuating GABA Release after Microwave Exposure in Wistar Rats},
year = {2014},
url = {https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0095503},
}