[A aquaporin 4 expression and effects in rat hippocampus after microwave radiation.]
Li X, Hu XJ, Peng RY, Gao YB, Wang SM, Wang LF, Xu XP, Su ZT, Yang GS. · 2009
View Original AbstractMicrowave radiation disrupted brain barrier proteins at 10 mW/cm², with persistent damage at higher levels suggesting cumulative brain effects.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed rats to microwave radiation at various power levels and found abnormal changes in a brain protein that regulates water balance in the hippocampus, the brain's memory center. Higher exposures caused persistent protein increases that didn't recover, suggesting potential blood-brain barrier damage.
Why This Matters
This study provides concerning evidence that microwave radiation can disrupt critical brain proteins at relatively low exposure levels. The fact that changes in AQP4 occurred at just 10 mW/cm² and persisted at higher levels suggests the brain may be more vulnerable to EMF exposure than current safety standards assume. What makes this particularly relevant is that AQP4 plays a vital role in maintaining the blood-brain barrier, your brain's protective filter that keeps toxins out while allowing nutrients in. When this barrier becomes more permeable, as the researchers suggest is happening, it could potentially allow harmful substances to reach brain tissue more easily. The progressive nature of the damage at higher exposure levels, where the protein changes didn't recover, indicates that there may be cumulative effects from repeated EMF exposure that warrant serious consideration in our increasingly wireless world.
Exposure Details
- Power Density
- 0, 10, 30 and 100 µW/m²
Where This Falls on the Concern Scale
Study Details
To investigate the expression of aquaporin 4 (AQP4) after microwave exposure and the correlation with the brain injury by radiation.
70 male rats were exposed to microwave whose average power density was 0, 10, 30 and 100 mW/cm(2) re...
The expression of AQP4 in rat hippocampus was abnormal after 10, 30, 100 mW/cm(2) microwave exposure...
Microwave radiation can increase the expression of AQP4 in rat hippocampus. The change might participate in the process of increasing permeability of blood-brain barrier and lead to the brain edema after microwave radiation.
Show BibTeX
@article{x_2009_a_aquaporin_4_expression_1152,
author = {Li X and Hu XJ and Peng RY and Gao YB and Wang SM and Wang LF and Xu XP and Su ZT and Yang GS.},
title = {[A aquaporin 4 expression and effects in rat hippocampus after microwave radiation.]},
year = {2009},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20137298/},
}