Medical/biological study (experimental study)

Effect of radio-frequency electromagnetic radiations (RF-EMR) on passive avoidance behaviour and hippocampal morphology in Wistar rats med./bio.

By: Narayanan SN, Kumar RS, Potu BK, Nayak S, Bhat PG, Mailankot M

Published in: Ups J Med Sci 2010; 115 (2): 91-96

Aim of study (acc. to author)

To study the effect of radiofrequency electromagnetic field exposure from mobile phones on passive avoidance behaviour and hippocampal morphology in male rats (n=12). A group of another 12 rats formed the control group.

Endpoint

effects on the neurological system: hippocampus morphology
cognitive/behavioral endpoints: passive avoidance behaviour

Exposure

- mobile communications
- mobile phone
- GSM

Exposure	Parameters
Exposure 1: 0.9–1.8 GHz Exposure duration: 50 times 45 s/h once per day for 4 weeks	-

Exposure 1

Main characteristics

Frequency	0.9–1.8 GHz
Type	electromagnetic field
Exposure duration	50 times 45 s/h once per day for 4 weeks
Additional info	phone used in vibratory mode, no ring tone

Exposure setup

Exposure source	cellular phone
Setup	phone placed in the animal cage in a wood-bottomed 12 cm x 7 cm x 7 cm cage with a bamboo wire mesh top

Parameters

No parameters are specified for this exposure.

Exposed system:

animal
rat/Wistar albino
whole body

Methods Endpoint/measurement parameters/methodology

morphol./histopathol. changes: hippocampus morphology (hematoxylin-eosin stain)
cognitive/behavioral endpoints: passive avoidance test (latency to enter the dark compartment (as marker for positive memory retention))

Investigated system:

tissue slices
investigation on living organism

Investigated organ system:

brain/CNS

Time of investigation:

after exposure

Main outcome of study (acc. to author)

Passive avoidance behaviour was significantly affected in mobile phone-exposed rats demonstrated as shorter latency to enter the dark compartment when compared to the control rats. Marked morphological changes (shrunken, darkly stained neurons) were also found in the CA3 region of the hippocampus of the exposed rats.
The authors conclude that mobile phone exposure significantly altered the passive avoidance behaviour and hippocampal morphology in rats.

Study character:

medical/biological study
experimental study
full/main study

Study funded by

not stated/no funding

Wang K et al. (2017): Effect of 1.8 GHz radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation on novel object associative recognition memory in mice
Mugunthan N et al. (2016): Effects of Long Term Exposure of 900-1800 MHz Radiation Emitted from 2G Mobile Phone on Mice Hippocampus- A Histomorphometric Study
Son Y et al. (2015): The Effect of Sub-Chronic Whole-Body Exposure to a 1,950 MHz Electromagnetic Field on the Hippocampus in the Mouse Brain
Narayanan SN et al. (2015): Possible cause for altered spatial cognition of prepubescent rats exposed to chronic radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation
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