Possible cause for altered spatial cognition of prepubescent rats exposed to chronic radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation.
Narayanan SN, Kumar RS, Karun KM, Nayak SB, Bhat PG · 2015
View Original AbstractYoung rats exposed to cell phone-level radiation showed impaired memory and brain cell damage, highlighting risks to developing brains.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed young rats to cell phone-level radiation (900 MHz) for one hour daily over 28 days, then tested their ability to navigate a water maze and examined their brain tissue. The exposed rats showed impaired learning and memory retention, along with measurable damage to brain cells in the hippocampus (the brain's memory center), including reduced cell survival and altered nerve cell structure.
Why This Matters
This study adds to mounting evidence that radiofrequency radiation affects developing brains, even at exposure levels similar to what children experience from cell phones and WiFi. The SAR level of 1.15 W/kg falls within current regulatory limits but still produced measurable cognitive deficits and brain cell damage in young animals. What makes this research particularly concerning is the focus on prepubescent subjects, whose developing nervous systems may be more vulnerable to EMF exposure. The structural changes observed in the hippocampus provide a biological mechanism for the memory problems, strengthening the case that these cognitive effects aren't just behavioral but reflect actual tissue damage. For parents, this research underscores why reducing children's EMF exposure deserves serious consideration, especially during critical developmental periods.
Exposure Details
- SAR
- 1.15 W/kg
- Power Density
- 0.1466 µW/m²
- Source/Device
- 900 MHz
- Exposure Duration
- 1 h/day, for 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
This study used 1.15 W/kg for SAR (device absorption):
- 2.9x above the Building Biology guideline of 0.4 W/kg
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
The effects of chronic and repeated radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation (RFEMR) exposure on spatial cognition and hippocampal architecture were investigated in prepubescent rats.
Four weeks old male Wistar rats were exposed to RF-EMR (900 MHz; SAR-1.15 W/kg with peak power densi...
Progressive learning abilities were found to be decreased in RF-EMR exposed rats. Memory retention t...
Show BibTeX
@article{sn_2015_possible_cause_for_altered_152,
author = {Narayanan SN and Kumar RS and Karun KM and Nayak SB and Bhat PG},
title = {Possible cause for altered spatial cognition of prepubescent rats exposed to chronic radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation.},
year = {2015},
doi = {10.1007/s11011-015-9689-6},
url = {https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11011-015-9689-6},
}