Analysis of emotionality and locomotion in radio-frequency electromagnetic radiation exposed rats.
Narayanan SN, Kumar RS, Paval J, Kedage V, Bhat MS, Nayak S, Bhat PG · 2013
View Original AbstractCell phone radiation at typical usage levels increased anxiety behaviors in young rats after just 28 days of exposure.
Plain English Summary
Young rats exposed to cell phone radiation (900 MHz) for 28 days showed increased anxiety behaviors in maze tests, avoiding open spaces and showing more stress signs like increased defecation. This suggests cell phone radiation may affect emotional development in young brains.
Why This Matters
This study adds to growing evidence that radiofrequency radiation affects brain function beyond simple heating effects. The researchers used a power density of 146.6 μW/cm² - roughly comparable to what you might experience during a phone call held close to your head. What makes this research particularly concerning is that it focused on adolescent rats, whose developing nervous systems may be more vulnerable to EMF exposure, similar to concerns about children's increased susceptibility. The finding that EMF exposure increased anxiety-like behaviors without affecting general movement suggests the radiation is specifically targeting emotional processing centers in the brain. This aligns with human studies reporting increased anxiety and mood changes among heavy cell phone users, though more research is needed to establish definitive causation.
Exposure Details
- Power Density
- 0.1466 µW/m²
- Source/Device
- 900 MHz Mobile Phone
- Exposure Duration
- 28 days
Exposure Context
This study used 0.1466 µW/m² for radio frequency:
- 14.7Mx above the Building Biology guideline of 0.1 μW/m²
- 244.3Kx 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
In the current study the modulatory role of mobile phone radio-frequency electromagnetic radiation (RF-EMR) on emotionality and locomotion was evaluated in adolescent rats.
Male albino Wistar rats (6–8 weeks old) were randomly assigned into the following groups having 12 a...
Elevated plus maze (EPM) test revealed that, percentage of entries into the open arm, percentage of ...
Results indicate that mobile phone radiation could affect the emotionality of rats without affecting the general locomotion.
Show BibTeX
@article{sn_2013_analysis_of_emotionality_and_150,
author = {Narayanan SN and Kumar RS and Paval J and Kedage V and Bhat MS and Nayak S and Bhat PG},
title = {Analysis of emotionality and locomotion in radio-frequency electromagnetic radiation exposed rats.},
year = {2013},
doi = {10.1007/s10072-012-1189-4},
url = {https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10072-012-1189-4},
}