Spatial memory performance of Wistar rats exposed to mobile phone.
Narayanan SN, Kumar RS, Potu BK, Nayak S, Mailankot M. · 2009
View Original AbstractMobile phone exposure significantly impaired rats' spatial memory, with exposed animals taking three times longer to navigate memory tasks.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed rats to mobile phone signals for 4 weeks (50 missed calls daily) and then tested their ability to navigate a water maze to find a hidden platform. The phone-exposed rats took three times longer to find the target area and spent half as much time in the correct location compared to unexposed rats. This suggests that mobile phone radiation may impair spatial memory and learning abilities.
Why This Matters
This study adds to a growing body of research showing that mobile phone radiation can affect brain function, specifically the cognitive processes involved in spatial memory and navigation. The exposure protocol used here - 50 missed calls per day for 4 weeks - represents a realistic usage pattern that many people exceed in their daily phone habits. What makes this research particularly concerning is that spatial memory deficits could translate to real-world problems with navigation, learning new routes, and remembering locations. While this is an animal study, the basic mechanisms of brain function are remarkably similar between rats and humans, making these findings relevant to human health concerns. The science demonstrates that even without heating effects, radiofrequency radiation can interfere with fundamental cognitive processes.
Exposure Information
Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study. The study examined exposure from: GSM (900/1800MHz) mobile phone Duration: 4 weeks
Study Details
We tested the effects of mobile phone exposure on spatial memory performance
Male Wistar rats (10-12 weeks old) were exposed to 50 missed calls/day for 4 weeks from a GSM (900/1...
Both phone exposed and control animals showed a significant decrease in escape time with training. P...
Mobile phone exposure affected the acquisition of learned responses in Wistar rats. This in turn points to the poor spatial navigation and the object place configurations of the phone-exposed animals.
Show BibTeX
@article{sn_2009_spatial_memory_performance_of_2458,
author = {Narayanan SN and Kumar RS and Potu BK and Nayak S and Mailankot M.},
title = {Spatial memory performance of Wistar rats exposed to mobile phone.},
year = {2009},
url = {https://www.scielo.br/j/clin/a/VPRGjX43Tfqs8RHVZMhFxsj/?format=pdf&lang=en},
}