Effects of 2.45 GHz Non-Ionizing Radiation on Anxiety-Like Behavior, Gene Expression, and Corticosterone Level in Male Rats: Long-term Radiation Exposure Modifies Memory and Anxiety Behavior

2022 · Mixed · Low evidence

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MixedLow evidencePaper 567

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2022

Study typeanimal

Reported directionMixed

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Effects of 2.45 GHz Non-Ionizing Radiation on Anxiety-Like Behavior, Gene Expression, and Corticosterone Level in Male Rats: Long-term Radiation Exposure Modifies Memory and Anxiety Behavior Tarsaei M, Peyrovan ZS, Mahdavi SM, Modarresi Chahardehi A, Vafaie R, Haidari MH. (2022). Effects of 2.45 GHz Non-Ionizing Radiation on Anxiety-Like Behavior, Gene Expression, and Corticosterone Level in Male Rats: Long- term Radiation Exposure Modifies Memory and Anxiety Behavior in Rats. Journal of Lasers in Medical Sciences, 13, e56. Abstract The effects of short-term and long-term exposures to 2.45 GHz radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation (RF- EMR) on anxiety-like behavior, corticosterone level, and gene expression were investigated. The animals have been classified into eight groups, sham groups and, exposed groups for short-term and long-term exposure to the same dose of RF-EMR for one hour daily. The Wi-Fi equipment in the sham control group was not turned on during the experiment. The goal of this study was to explore the effect of electromagnetic fields of 2.45 GHz on clinical signs such as bodyweight and anxiety-like behavior, including the elevated plus maze test and open-field test, and also on messenger RNA (mRNA) expression of Bax (Bcl2-associated x) and Bcl-2 (B-cell lymphoma 2) genes on the cognitive memory functions in an animal model of rats. Both genes were further confirmed by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The semi-quantitative PCR method of electromagnetic fields in the 2.45 GHz range impacted the expression of Bax and Bcl-2 genes in the rat's memory. The present study exhibited that short-term radiation could decrease the percentage of entry into the open arm and the percentage of time spent, while there were no substantial impacts on the long-term radiation effect. Our data support the hypothesis that short-term exposure worked as a systemic stressor, raising plasma corticosterone and changing glucocorticoid receptor expression in the hippocampus. Additional research on this specific frequency and amount of radiation is required to discover strategies for protecting the nervous system from the detrimental effects of RF-EMR radiation. Open access paper: journals.sbmu.ac.ir

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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

PopulationMale rats

Sample sizeNot supplied

ExposureRF · 2450 MHz · 1 hour daily; short-term and long-term exposure (durations not specified)

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 74% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

In this rat study, short-term 2.45 GHz RF-EMR exposure was reported to decrease the percentage of entries into the open arm and the percentage of time spent (elevated plus maze-related anxiety-like behavior), while long-term exposure showed no substantial impacts on these measures. Short-term exposure was also described as a systemic stressor that increased plasma corticosterone and altered glucocorticoid receptor expression in the hippocampus. The authors report that 2.45 GHz electromagnetic fields impacted Bax and Bcl-2 gene expression in relation to memory.

Outcomes measured

Anxiety-like behavior (elevated plus maze, open-field test)
Plasma corticosterone level
Gene expression (Bax, Bcl-2; glucocorticoid receptor expression in hippocampus)
Bodyweight
Cognitive memory functions

Limitations

Sample size not reported in the abstract
Specific definitions/durations for 'short-term' vs 'long-term' exposure not provided
Exposure dose/SAR not reported
Some outcome descriptions are unclear/fragmented in the abstract (e.g., PCR method sentence)

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "animal",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "RF",
    "source": "Wi-Fi",
    "frequency_mhz": 2450,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "1 hour daily; short-term and long-term exposure (durations not specified)"
  },
  "population": "Male rats",
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "Anxiety-like behavior (elevated plus maze, open-field test)",
    "Plasma corticosterone level",
    "Gene expression (Bax, Bcl-2; glucocorticoid receptor expression in hippocampus)",
    "Bodyweight",
    "Cognitive memory functions"
  ],
  "main_findings": "In this rat study, short-term 2.45 GHz RF-EMR exposure was reported to decrease the percentage of entries into the open arm and the percentage of time spent (elevated plus maze-related anxiety-like behavior), while long-term exposure showed no substantial impacts on these measures. Short-term exposure was also described as a systemic stressor that increased plasma corticosterone and altered glucocorticoid receptor expression in the hippocampus. The authors report that 2.45 GHz electromagnetic fields impacted Bax and Bcl-2 gene expression in relation to memory.",
  "effect_direction": "mixed",
  "limitations": [
    "Sample size not reported in the abstract",
    "Specific definitions/durations for 'short-term' vs 'long-term' exposure not provided",
    "Exposure dose/SAR not reported",
    "Some outcome descriptions are unclear/fragmented in the abstract (e.g., PCR method sentence)"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.74,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "2.45 GHz",
    "RF-EMR",
    "Wi-Fi",
    "rats",
    "anxiety-like behavior",
    "elevated plus maze",
    "open-field test",
    "corticosterone",
    "hippocampus",
    "glucocorticoid receptor",
    "Bax",
    "Bcl-2",
    "gene expression",
    "memory"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "school-wi-fi",
      "weight": 0.6,
      "reason": "Exposure described as 2.45 GHz Wi-Fi equipment (sham Wi-Fi off vs exposed)."
    }
  ]
}

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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: Not supplied
PubMed: Not supplied

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