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Brain & Nervous System

Effects of electromagnetic radiation on spatial memory and synapses in rat hippocampal CA1.

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Li Y, Shi C, Lu G, Xu Q, Liu S. · 2012

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Mobile phone radiation impaired spatial learning and reference memory and caused structural changes in rat hippocampal CA1.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers exposed 8-week-old Wistar rats to near-field radiation at 0.52–1.08 W/kg for 2 hours per day for 1 month. Behavioral changes were examined using the Morris water maze, and the irradiated rats exhibited impaired performance compared with the sham-irradiated rats. The morphological changes included mitochondrial degenerations, fewer synapses, and shorter postsynaptic densities in the radiated rats.

Why This Matters

The study investigated effects of mobile phone radiation on spatial learning, reference memory, and morphology in related brain regions. Synaptic ultrastructural changes in the hippocampus were examined to assess morphological effects. Using the physical dissector technique, the number of pyramidal neurons, the synaptic profiles, and the length of postsynaptic densities in the CA1 region were quantified stereologically.

Exposure Details

SAR
0.52–1.08 W/kg
Source/Device
900 MHz
Exposure Duration
2 hours every day over 1 month

Exposure Context

This study used 0.52–1.08 W/kg for SAR (device absorption):

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 Exposure Level in ContextStudy Exposure Level in ContextThis study: 0.52–1.08 W/kgExtreme Concern - 0.1 W/kgFCC Limit - 1.6 W/kgEffects observed in the Extreme Concern range (Building Biology)FCC limit is 3 times higher than this level
A logarithmic frequency spectrum from 10 Hz to 100 GHz showing where this study's 900 MHz exposure sits relative to common EMF sources.Where This Frequency Sits on the EMF SpectrumELFVLFLF / MFHF / VHFUHFSHFmm10 Hz100 GHzThis study: 900 MHzPower lines50/60 Hz5G mm28 GHzLogarithmic scale

Study Details

In this study, we investigated the effects of mobile phone radiation on spatial learning, reference memory, and morphology in related brain regions.

After the near-field radiation (0.52–1.08 W/kg) was delivered to 8-week-old Wistar rats 2 hours per ...

The morphological changes included mitochondrial degenerations, fewer synapses, and shorter postsyna...

Cite This Study
Li Y, Shi C, Lu G, Xu Q, Liu S. (2012). Effects of electromagnetic radiation on spatial memory and synapses in rat hippocampal CA1. Neural Regen Res. 7(16):1248-1255, 2012.
Show BibTeX
@article{y_2012_effects_of_electromagnetic_radiation_125,
  author = {Li Y and Shi C and Lu G and Xu Q and Liu S. },
  title = {Effects of electromagnetic radiation on spatial memory and synapses in rat hippocampal CA1.},
  year = {2012},
  
  url = {https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4336960/},
}

Quick Questions About This Study

The study used 8-week-old Wistar rats exposed to near-field radiation for 2 hours per day for 1 month.
The rats were exposed to near-field radiation at 0.52–1.08 W/kg.
Behavioral changes were examined using the Morris water maze.
Researchers found mitochondrial degenerations, fewer synapses, and shorter postsynaptic densities in the radiated rats.
The findings indicate that mobile phone radiation can significantly impair spatial learning and reference memory.