Impact of specific electromagnetic radiation on wakefulness in mice

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2024 · Mixed · Low evidence

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MixedLow evidencePaper 212

Study snapshot

PublicationProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2024

Study typeanimal

Reported directionMixed

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Impact of specific electromagnetic radiation on wakefulness in mice Deng H, Liu L, Tang X, Lu Y, Wang X, Zhao Y, Shi Y. Impact of specific electromagnetic radiation on wakefulness in mice. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2024 Apr 9;121(15):e2313903121. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2313903121. Abstract Electromagnetic radiation (EMR) in the environment, particularly in the microwave range, may constitute a public health concern. Exposure to 2.4 GHz EMR modulated by 100 Hz square pulses was recently reported to markedly increase wakefulness in mice. Here, we demonstrate that a similar wakefulness increase can be induced by the modulation frequency of 1,000 Hz, but not 10 Hz. In contrast to the carrier frequency of 2.4 GHz, 935 MHz EMR of the same power density has little impact on wakefulness irrespective of modulation frequency. Notably, the replacement of the 100 Hz square- pulsed modulation by sinusoidal-pulsed modulation of 2.4 GHz EMR still allows a marked increase of wakefulness. In contrast, continuous sinusoidal amplitude modulation of 100 Hz with the same time- averaged power output fails to trigger any detectable change of wakefulness. Therefore, alteration of sleep behavior by EMR depends upon not just carrier frequency but also frequency and mode of the modulation. These results implicate biological sensing mechanisms for specific EMR in animals. Significance Increased wakefulness in mice was previously found to be a direct result of prolonged exposure to 2.4 GHz electromagnetic radiation (EMR) with 100 Hz square-pulsed modulation at 1/8 duty cycle. Several key issues remain unaddressed. Does the frequency of the square-pulsed modulation matter? Are the sharp edges of the square pulses a major contributor to sleep/wakefulness alteration? Can carrier frequencies other than 2.4 GHz induce sleep/wakefulness alteration? Does the duty cycle matter? In this study, we answer these questions by demonstrating the dependency of sleep/wakefulness alteration on EMR modulation frequency, carrier frequency, and modulation mode. Excerpts Modeling and experimental assessment of human exposure to 935 MHz or 2.14 GHz EMR at a dose level of 3.6 W/kg local SAR revealed a maximal skin temperature increase of 0.31 °C and a brain temperature elevation of <0.1 °C (21). In our case, the maximum local SAR value measured with the cSAR3D testing system is 3.6 W/kg and the averaged SAR is 2.81 ± 0.15 W/kg. Hence, the observed EMR impact on sleep in our study is most likely nonthermal.... In conclusion, our study reveals distinct specificity of EMR. Prolonged exposure to the carrier frequency 2.4 GHz EMR with square pulse modulation of different frequencies induces varying changes of wakefulness in mice. In contrast to 2.4 GHz, the carrier frequency 935 MHz has little impact on wakefulness or NREM sleep. Then, 2.4 GHz EMR with sinusoidal pulse modulation, but not continuous sinusoidal modulation of 100 Hz, results in an increase in wakefulness. These findings link specific biological responses to specific parameters of EMR, namely carrier frequency, modulation frequency, and modulation mode. The underlying mechanisms for these observations remain to be unveiled. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Machine Enhanced Logic

AI evidence extraction

Structured fields below were generated from the paper’s abstract and metadata to make the evidence easier to inspect. Automated extraction may be incomplete or incorrect; verify important details against the original paper.

Study typeanimal

Effect directionmixed

Populationmice

Sample sizeNot supplied

ExposureRF · 3.6 W/kg · prolonged exposure

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 74% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Exposure to 2.4 GHz EMR with pulsed modulation increased wakefulness in mice, with effects depending on modulation frequency and mode (e.g., 1,000 Hz similar to 100 Hz; 10 Hz not effective; sinusoidal-pulsed effective; continuous sinusoidal amplitude modulation at 100 Hz not effective). In contrast, 935 MHz EMR at the same power density had little impact on wakefulness regardless of modulation frequency. Reported/assessed SAR values included a maximum local SAR of 3.6 W/kg (average 2.81 ± 0.15 W/kg), with small modeled/measured temperature increases, and authors state the sleep effects are most likely nonthermal.

Outcomes measured

wakefulness
sleep behavior
NREM sleep
brain temperature
skin temperature

Limitations

Sample size not provided in the supplied abstract/excerpts
Exposure duration and detailed exposure conditions (e.g., exact power density, duty cycle values beyond prior 1/8 mention) not fully specified in the supplied text
Mechanisms underlying observed effects are not established

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "animal",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "RF",
    "source": null,
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": 3.6,
    "duration": "prolonged exposure"
  },
  "population": "mice",
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "wakefulness",
    "sleep behavior",
    "NREM sleep",
    "brain temperature",
    "skin temperature"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Exposure to 2.4 GHz EMR with pulsed modulation increased wakefulness in mice, with effects depending on modulation frequency and mode (e.g., 1,000 Hz similar to 100 Hz; 10 Hz not effective; sinusoidal-pulsed effective; continuous sinusoidal amplitude modulation at 100 Hz not effective). In contrast, 935 MHz EMR at the same power density had little impact on wakefulness regardless of modulation frequency. Reported/assessed SAR values included a maximum local SAR of 3.6 W/kg (average 2.81 ± 0.15 W/kg), with small modeled/measured temperature increases, and authors state the sleep effects are most likely nonthermal.",
  "effect_direction": "mixed",
  "limitations": [
    "Sample size not provided in the supplied abstract/excerpts",
    "Exposure duration and detailed exposure conditions (e.g., exact power density, duty cycle values beyond prior 1/8 mention) not fully specified in the supplied text",
    "Mechanisms underlying observed effects are not established"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.74,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "electromagnetic radiation",
    "EMR",
    "RF",
    "microwave",
    "2.4 GHz",
    "935 MHz",
    "modulation frequency",
    "square-pulsed modulation",
    "sinusoidal-pulsed modulation",
    "amplitude modulation",
    "SAR",
    "wakefulness",
    "sleep",
    "NREM",
    "nonthermal"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": []
}

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AI-extracted fields are generated from the abstract and metadata and may be incomplete or incorrect. This material is for informational purposes and is not medical advice.

Identifiers and source

DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2313903121
PubMed: 38557178

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