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Effect of Low Level Subchronic Microwave Radiation on Rat Brain

2016 · Harm · Low evidence

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HarmLow evidencePaper 1381

Male Fischer rats exposed for 90 days to microwave radiation at 900, 1800, or 2450 MHz (SARs ~5.835×10^-4 to 6.672×10^-4 W/kg) showed a decline in cognitive function, increased HSP70 levels, and increased DNA damage in brain compared with sham-exposed animals.

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2016
Study typeanimal
Reported directionHarm
Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Effect of Low Level Subchronic Microwave Radiation on Rat Brain Deshmukh PS, Megha K, Nasare N, Banerjee BD, Ahmed RS, Abegaonkar MP, Tripathi AK, Mediratta PK. Effect of Low Level Subchronic Microwave Radiation on Rat Brain. Biomed Environ Sci. 2016 Dec;29(12):858-867. doi: 10.3967/bes2016.115. Abstract OBJECTIVE: The present study was designed to investigate the effects of subchronic low level microwave radiation (MWR) on cognitive function, heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) level and DNA damage in brain of Fischer rats. METHODS: Experiments were performed on male Fischer rats exposed to microwave radiation for 90 days at three different frequencies: 900, 1800, and 2450 MHz. Animals were divided into 4 groups: Group I: Sham exposed, Group II: animals exposed to microwave radiation at 900 MHz and specific absorption rate (SAR) 5.953 × 10-4 W/kg, Group III: animals exposed to 1800 MHz at SAR 5.835 × 10-4 W/kg and Group IV: animals exposed to 2450 MHz at SAR 6.672 × 10-4 W/kg. All the animals were tested for cognitive function using elevated plus maze and Morris water maze at the end of the exposure period and subsequently sacrificed to collect brain tissues. HSP70 levels were estimated by ELISA and DNA damage was assessed using alkaline comet assay. RESULTS: Microwave exposure at 900-2450 MHz with SAR values as mentioned above lead to decline in cognitive function, increase in HSP70 level and DNA damage in brain. CONCLUSION: The results of the present study suggest that low level microwave exposure at frequencies 900, 1800, and 2450 MHz may lead to hazardous effects on brain. Open source paper: bit.ly

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 directionharm
PopulationMale Fischer rats
Sample sizeNot supplied
Exposuremicrowave · 90 days
Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 78% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Male Fischer rats exposed for 90 days to microwave radiation at 900, 1800, or 2450 MHz (SARs ~5.835×10^-4 to 6.672×10^-4 W/kg) showed a decline in cognitive function, increased HSP70 levels, and increased DNA damage in brain compared with sham-exposed animals.

Outcomes measured

  • Cognitive function (elevated plus maze, Morris water maze)
  • HSP70 level (ELISA)
  • DNA damage in brain (alkaline comet assay)

Limitations

  • Sample size not reported in abstract
  • Exposure source/setup details not described in abstract
  • Only male rats studied; generalizability to other sexes/species not addressed in abstract
View raw extracted JSON
{
  "study_type": "animal",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "microwave",
    "source": null,
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "90 days"
  },
  "population": "Male Fischer rats",
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "Cognitive function (elevated plus maze, Morris water maze)",
    "HSP70 level (ELISA)",
    "DNA damage in brain (alkaline comet assay)"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Male Fischer rats exposed for 90 days to microwave radiation at 900, 1800, or 2450 MHz (SARs ~5.835×10^-4 to 6.672×10^-4 W/kg) showed a decline in cognitive function, increased HSP70 levels, and increased DNA damage in brain compared with sham-exposed animals.",
  "effect_direction": "harm",
  "limitations": [
    "Sample size not reported in abstract",
    "Exposure source/setup details not described in abstract",
    "Only male rats studied; generalizability to other sexes/species not addressed in abstract"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "microwave radiation",
    "subchronic exposure",
    "rat brain",
    "cognition",
    "HSP70",
    "DNA damage",
    "comet assay",
    "900 MHz",
    "1800 MHz",
    "2450 MHz",
    "SAR"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "rf-health-effects",
      "weight": 0.9,
      "reason": "Animal study assessing brain outcomes after RF/microwave exposure at 900–2450 MHz."
    }
  ]
}
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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: 10.3967/bes2016.115
PubMed: Not supplied

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