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p25/CDK5 is partially involved in neuronal injury induced by radiofrequency electromagnetic field exposure.

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Zhang Y, She F, Li L, Chen C, Xu S, Luo X, Li M, He M, Yu Z. · 2013

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Ten minutes of WiFi-frequency radiation triggered Alzheimer's-like protein changes and neuronal death in developing brain cells.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers exposed newborn rat brain cells to 2.45 GHz radiofrequency radiation (the same frequency used in WiFi and microwaves) for just 10 minutes and found significant neuronal damage. The brain cells showed decreased viability, increased cell death, and abnormal protein changes associated with neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's. The study identified a specific cellular pathway (p25/CDK5) that appears to drive this RF-induced brain cell injury.

Why This Matters

This study provides concerning evidence that brief radiofrequency exposure can trigger neurodegeneration pathways in developing brain tissue. What makes this research particularly significant is that the researchers identified the specific molecular mechanism - the p25/CDK5 pathway - through which RF radiation damages neurons. This pathway is the same one involved in Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative conditions. The fact that just 10 minutes of 2.45 GHz exposure caused measurable neuronal injury and abnormal tau protein phosphorylation (a hallmark of Alzheimer's) raises serious questions about chronic exposure from everyday devices operating at this frequency. While this was a laboratory study on isolated rat neurons, the biological mechanisms identified are fundamentally similar across mammalian species, making these findings relevant to human health concerns.

Exposure Information

Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study. The study examined exposure from: 2.45 GHz Duration: 10 min.

Study Details

The aim of the present work was to investigate whether the cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (CDK5) pathway is involved in neuronal injury induced by RF-EMF exposure.

Newborn Sprague-Dawley rats' primary cultured cortical neurons were exposed to pulsed 2.45 GHz RF-EM...

The cellular viability of neurons was significantly decreased (p < 0.01, Partial Eta Squared [ηp(2)]...

These results suggest that abnormal activity of p25/CDK5 is partially involved in primary cultured cortical neuron injury induced by RF-EMF exposure.

Cite This Study
Zhang Y, She F, Li L, Chen C, Xu S, Luo X, Li M, He M, Yu Z. (2013). p25/CDK5 is partially involved in neuronal injury induced by radiofrequency electromagnetic field exposure. Int J Radiat Biol. 2013 Jul 29.
Show BibTeX
@article{y_2013_p25cdk5_is_partially_involved_2704,
  author = {Zhang Y and She F and Li L and Chen C and Xu S and Luo X and Li M and He M and Yu Z.},
  title = {p25/CDK5 is partially involved in neuronal injury induced by radiofrequency electromagnetic field exposure.},
  year = {2013},
  
  url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23786497/},
}

Quick Questions About This Study

Researchers exposed newborn rat brain cells to 2.45 GHz radiofrequency radiation (the same frequency used in WiFi and microwaves) for just 10 minutes and found significant neuronal damage. The brain cells showed decreased viability, increased cell death, and abnormal protein changes associated with neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's. The study identified a specific cellular pathway (p25/CDK5) that appears to drive this RF-induced brain cell injury.