Effect of Electromagnetic Field Exposure on Mouse Brain Morphological and Histopathological Profiling

2020 · Harm · Low evidence

← Research stream

HarmLow evidencePaper 1501

Mice exposed continuously for 72 h to 1,350 MHz or 1,375 MHz EMF at SAR 4.0 W/kg showed histopathological changes including shrinkage of pyramidal neurons, mild perivascular and perineural oedema, vacuolation of neurons and glial cells in the great hemisphere…

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2020

Study typeanimal

Reported directionHarm

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Effect of Electromagnetic Field Exposure on Mouse Brain Morphological and Histopathological Profiling Judita Zymantiene, Vida Juozaitiene, Rasa Zelvyte, Vaidas Oberauskas, Ugne Spancerniene, Antanas Sederevicius, Albina Aniuliene. Effect of Electromagnetic Field Exposure on Mouse Brain Morphological and Histopathological Profiling. J Vet Res. 2020 May 8;64(2):319-324. doi: 10.2478/jvetres-2020-0030. Abstract Introduction: Mobile phones (MP) and other electronic and communication devices that are used daily expose users to electromagnetic fields (EMF) and contribute to an increasing incidence of neurological disorders. Brain tissue is the closest organ to the MP as it operates, thus the influence of MP radiation on brain tissue is of particular concern, although research is still inconclusive. The present study investigated the possible effect of an EMF (1,350-1,375 megahertz (MHz)) from an MP on morphological and histopathological profiles in the mouse brain. Material and methods: Healthy BALB/c mice were assigned to three equal groups (a control and two experimental groups, n = 10 each). Experimental mice were exposed to EMFs continuously for 72 h, those of experimental group I to a 1,350 MHz field at a specific absorption rate (SAR) of 4.0 W/kg, and group II to a 1,375 MHz field EMF at an SAR of 4.0 W/kg. Brain segmentation and histopathological analysis were applied to detect changes in the morphometric parameters of the brain lobes and identify pathological lesions, respectively. Results: Histopathology results revealed shrinkage of pyramidal neurons, presence of mild perivascular and perineural oedema, and some vacuolation of neurons and glial cells derived from mouse great hemispheres. The lesions also included reduction of Purkinje cells, vacuolisation of neurons and glial cells, and interstitial oedema in the cerebellum. Conclusion: MP distance of 3 cm from the cage may induce appreciable morphological changes in mouse brain structures; therefore, more comprehensive research is essential for assessment of safe distance. These pronounced effects may interfere with the results of laboratory tests on murine experimental models in veterinary or biomedical research. Open access paper: 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

PopulationHealthy BALB/c mice

Sample size30

ExposureRF · 4 W/kg · continuous for 72 h

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 78% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Outcomes measured

Brain morphometric parameters (brain lobe morphometry)
Histopathological lesions in brain (great hemispheres, cerebellum)

Limitations

Only animal model (mice)
Small group sizes (n=10 per group)
Exposure duration limited to 72 h
Exposure conditions described as mobile phone at 3 cm from cage; generalizability to other distances/exposures not established in abstract

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "animal",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "RF",
    "source": "mobile phone",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": 4,
    "duration": "continuous for 72 h"
  },
  "population": "Healthy BALB/c mice",
  "sample_size": 30,
  "outcomes": [
    "Brain morphometric parameters (brain lobe morphometry)",
    "Histopathological lesions in brain (great hemispheres, cerebellum)"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Mice exposed continuously for 72 h to 1,350 MHz or 1,375 MHz EMF at SAR 4.0 W/kg showed histopathological changes including shrinkage of pyramidal neurons, mild perivascular and perineural oedema, vacuolation of neurons and glial cells in the great hemispheres, and reduction of Purkinje cells with vacuolisation and interstitial oedema in the cerebellum.",
  "effect_direction": "harm",
  "limitations": [
    "Only animal model (mice)",
    "Small group sizes (n=10 per group)",
    "Exposure duration limited to 72 h",
    "Exposure conditions described as mobile phone at 3 cm from cage; generalizability to other distances/exposures not established in abstract"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "electromagnetic field",
    "mobile phone",
    "mouse",
    "BALB/c",
    "brain",
    "histopathology",
    "morphology",
    "1350 MHz",
    "1375 MHz",
    "SAR 4.0 W/kg",
    "oedema",
    "vacuolation",
    "Purkinje cells",
    "pyramidal neurons"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "rf-animal-studies",
      "weight": 0.9,
      "reason": "Animal experiment assessing RF (mobile phone-range) exposure effects on mouse brain histopathology."
    }
  ]
}

AI can be wrong. Always verify against the paper.

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: 10.2478/jvetres-2020-0030
PubMed: Not supplied

Read the original paper →

Related papers

← Back to the Research Library