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Long-term exposure to 835 MHz RF-EMF induces hyperactivity, autophagy and demyelination in the cortical neurons of mice

2017 · Harm · Low evidence

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HarmLow evidencePaper 1383

C57BL/6 mice exposed to 835 MHz RF-EMF (SAR 4.0 W/kg) for 5 hours/day over 12 weeks showed increased autophagy-related gene/protein markers (including LC3B-II and Beclin1) and autolysosome accumulation in neuronal cell bodies. Bax was reported as down-regulat…

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2017
Study typeanimal
Reported directionHarm
Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Long-term exposure to 835 MHz RF-EMF induces hyperactivity, autophagy and demyelination in the cortical neurons of mice Kim JH, Yu DH, Huh YH, Lee EH, Kim HG, Kim HR.Long-term exposure to 835 MHz RF-EMF induces hyperactivity, autophagy and demyelination in the cortical neurons of mice. Sci Rep. 2017 Jan 20;7:41129. doi: 10.1038/srep41129. Abstract Radiofrequency electromagnetic field (RF-EMF) is used globally in conjunction with mobile communications. There are public concerns of the perceived deleterious biological consequences of RF-EMF exposure. This study assessed neuronal effects of RF-EMF on the cerebral cortex of the mouse brain as a proxy for cranial exposure during mobile phone use. C57BL/6 mice were exposed to 835 MHz RF-EMF at a specific absorption rate (SAR) of 4.0 W/kg for 5 hours/day during 12 weeks. The aim was to examine activation of autophagy pathway in the cerebral cortex, a brain region that is located relatively externally. Induction of autophagy genes and production of proteins including LC3B-II and Beclin1 were increased and accumulation of autolysosome was observed in neuronal cell bodies. However, proapoptotic factor Bax was down-regulted in the cerebral cortex. Importantly, we found that RF-EMF exposure led to myelin sheath damage and mice displayed hyperactivity-like behaviour. The data suggest that autophagy may act as a protective pathway for the neuronal cell bodies in the cerebral cortex during radiofrequency exposure. The observations that neuronal cell bodies remained structurally stable but demyelination was induced in cortical neurons following prolonged RF-EMF suggests a potential cause of neurological or neurobehavioural disorders. 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 directionharm
PopulationC57BL/6 mice
Sample sizeNot supplied
ExposureRF · 835 MHz · 4 W/kg · 5 hours/day for 12 weeks
Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 78% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

C57BL/6 mice exposed to 835 MHz RF-EMF (SAR 4.0 W/kg) for 5 hours/day over 12 weeks showed increased autophagy-related gene/protein markers (including LC3B-II and Beclin1) and autolysosome accumulation in neuronal cell bodies. Bax was reported as down-regulated. RF-EMF exposure was associated with myelin sheath damage and hyperactivity-like behaviour.

Outcomes measured

  • Autophagy pathway activation in cerebral cortex (autophagy genes; LC3B-II; Beclin1; autolysosome accumulation)
  • Bax (proapoptotic factor) expression in cerebral cortex
  • Myelin sheath damage/demyelination in cortical neurons
  • Hyperactivity-like behaviour

Limitations

  • Sample size not reported in provided abstract
  • Exposure conditions may not directly represent typical human mobile phone use (high SAR and prolonged daily exposure)
  • Animal model; generalizability to humans not established in abstract
View raw extracted JSON
{
  "study_type": "animal",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "RF",
    "source": "mobile phone",
    "frequency_mhz": 835,
    "sar_wkg": 4,
    "duration": "5 hours/day for 12 weeks"
  },
  "population": "C57BL/6 mice",
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "Autophagy pathway activation in cerebral cortex (autophagy genes; LC3B-II; Beclin1; autolysosome accumulation)",
    "Bax (proapoptotic factor) expression in cerebral cortex",
    "Myelin sheath damage/demyelination in cortical neurons",
    "Hyperactivity-like behaviour"
  ],
  "main_findings": "C57BL/6 mice exposed to 835 MHz RF-EMF (SAR 4.0 W/kg) for 5 hours/day over 12 weeks showed increased autophagy-related gene/protein markers (including LC3B-II and Beclin1) and autolysosome accumulation in neuronal cell bodies. Bax was reported as down-regulated. RF-EMF exposure was associated with myelin sheath damage and hyperactivity-like behaviour.",
  "effect_direction": "harm",
  "limitations": [
    "Sample size not reported in provided abstract",
    "Exposure conditions may not directly represent typical human mobile phone use (high SAR and prolonged daily exposure)",
    "Animal model; generalizability to humans not established in abstract"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "RF-EMF",
    "835 MHz",
    "specific absorption rate",
    "SAR 4.0 W/kg",
    "mouse",
    "cerebral cortex",
    "autophagy",
    "LC3B-II",
    "Beclin1",
    "Bax",
    "demyelination",
    "myelin sheath damage",
    "hyperactivity"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "who-icnirp",
      "weight": 0.2,
      "reason": "Animal study on RF-EMF health effects relevant to exposure guideline discussions."
    }
  ]
}
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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: 10.1038/srep41129
PubMed: Not supplied

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