Mobile phone radiation and the developing brain: behavioral and morphological effects in juvenile rats.
Kumlin T, Iivonen H, Miettinen P, Juvonen A, van Groen T, Puranen L, Pitkäaho R, Juutilainen J, Tanila H. · 2007
View Original AbstractYoung rats exposed to cell phone radiation showed improved learning and memory, challenging assumptions about EMF brain effects.
Plain English Summary
Finnish researchers exposed young rats to cell phone radiation (900 MHz) for 2 hours daily over 5 weeks. Unexpectedly, exposed rats showed improved learning and memory performance with no brain damage or blood-brain barrier problems, suggesting cognitive enhancement that warrants further investigation.
Why This Matters
This study stands out in EMF research because it found cognitive enhancement rather than impairment from mobile phone radiation exposure. The rats were exposed at SAR levels of 0.3 and 3.0 W/kg - with the higher level being 50% above the current U.S. safety limit of 2 W/kg for cell phones. What makes this particularly relevant is that the study focused on the developing brain, which is considered more vulnerable to EMF effects than adult brains. However, we shouldn't interpret improved performance in rats as evidence that EMF exposure is beneficial for human brain development. The reality is that biological systems can respond to EMF in complex, non-linear ways that don't always translate directly between species. This study adds to the growing body of evidence showing that EMF can produce measurable biological effects, even when those effects aren't necessarily harmful.
Exposure Details
- SAR
- 0.3 and 3 W/kg
- Source/Device
- 900 MHz
- Exposure Duration
- 2 hr/day. 5 days/wk, 5 wk
Where This Falls on the Concern Scale
Study Details
To study the biological effects of prolonged high-frequency electromagnetic field - exposure on the developing brain and behavioral and morphological effects in juvenile rats.
Possible morphological and functional changes were evaluated in the central nervous system of young ...
No degenerative changes, dying neurons, or effects on the leakage of the blood-brain barrier were de...
The results do not indicate a serious threat to the developing brain from mobile phone radiation at intensities relevant to human exposure. However, the interesting finding of improved learning and memory warrants further studies.
Show BibTeX
@article{t_2007_mobile_phone_radiation_and_117,
author = {Kumlin T and Iivonen H and Miettinen P and Juvonen A and van Groen T and Puranen L and Pitkäaho R and Juutilainen J and Tanila H.},
title = {Mobile phone radiation and the developing brain: behavioral and morphological effects in juvenile rats.},
year = {2007},
url = {https://meridian.allenpress.com/radiation-research/article-abstract/168/4/471/42715},
}