Investigating the impact of mobile range electromagnetic radiation on the medial prefrontal cortex of the rat during working memory

Behavioural brain research · 2020 · Harm · Low evidence

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HarmLow evidencePaper 1502

Study snapshot

PublicationBehavioural brain research · 2020

Study typeanimal

Reported directionHarm

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Investigating the impact of mobile range electromagnetic radiation on the medial prefrontal cortex of the rat during working memory Tafakori S, Farrokhi A, Shalchyan V, Daliri MR. Investigating the impact of mobile range electromagnetic radiation on the medial prefrontal cortex of the rat during working memory. Behavioural Brain Research. Available online 24 May 2020, 112703. doi.org. Highlights • Investigating the effects of radio-frequency electromagnetic radiation on local field potential signal. • Monitoring the effects of radio-frequency electromagnetic radiation on working memory of the rat. • Evaluating the impact of mobile phone range exposure on medial prefrontal cortex of the rat. • Radio-frequency electromagnetic radiation may lead to temporary abnormal brain functioning. • Theta band of medial prefrontal cortex during working memory affected by mobile phone range radiation. Abstract Research has been focused on the effects of radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation (RF-EMR) emitted from a mobile phone on general health, especially the nervous system. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of RF-EMR on the brain mechanism of rats by recording local field potentials (LFPs) signals during working memory (WM) task. Subjects were exposed to 900 MHz from a dipole antenna daily for three hours. Exposure was applied, first on a short term base (1 week) and then on a long term base (4 weeks). Behavioral parameters were measured weekly while rats performed T-maze tasks in two types of normal and delayed. LFPs signals were simultaneously recorded by implanted microelectrode arrays on the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of rats. Results showed a significant increase (*p < 0.05) in the task completion time of exposed rats which vanished shortly after the end of short term RF-EMR exposure. Before exposure, during correctly performed delayed tasks, an increase (peak) in power changes of theta band (4-12 Hz) was observed. But during correctly performed normal tasks, an increase appeared only by applying RF-EMR exposure. The similarity in power changes pattern of theta band in both types of tasks was observed after long term exposure. Classification accuracy of LFPs in truly done normal and delayed tasks was compared in pre and post-exposure states. Initial classification accuracy was 84.2% which decreased significantly (*P < 0.05) after exposure. These observations indicated that RF-EMR may cause unusual brain functioning which is temporary at least for short term exposure. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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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 directionharm

PopulationRats

Sample sizeNot supplied

ExposureRF · 900 MHz · 3 hours daily; short term 1 week and long term 4 weeks

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 74% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Rats exposed to 900 MHz RF-EMR showed a significant increase (p<0.05) in task completion time that disappeared shortly after the end of short-term exposure. Theta-band (4–12 Hz) power-change patterns during correctly performed tasks differed pre- vs post-exposure, and after long-term exposure the theta power-change pattern became similar across normal and delayed tasks. LFP-based classification accuracy for normal vs delayed tasks decreased significantly (p<0.05) from an initial 84.2% after exposure.

Outcomes measured

Working memory performance (T-maze task completion time; normal and delayed tasks)
Medial prefrontal cortex local field potentials (LFPs)
Theta band (4–12 Hz) power changes during tasks
Classification accuracy of LFPs for normal vs delayed tasks

Limitations

Sample size not reported in the provided abstract.
Specific exposure metrics beyond frequency and duration (e.g., SAR, field strength) not reported in the provided abstract.
Details of control/sham conditions and randomization/blinding not described in the provided abstract.
Findings are from an animal model; generalizability to humans is not established in the provided abstract.

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "animal",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "RF",
    "source": "mobile phone range (dipole antenna)",
    "frequency_mhz": 900,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "3 hours daily; short term 1 week and long term 4 weeks"
  },
  "population": "Rats",
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "Working memory performance (T-maze task completion time; normal and delayed tasks)",
    "Medial prefrontal cortex local field potentials (LFPs)",
    "Theta band (4–12 Hz) power changes during tasks",
    "Classification accuracy of LFPs for normal vs delayed tasks"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Rats exposed to 900 MHz RF-EMR showed a significant increase (p<0.05) in task completion time that disappeared shortly after the end of short-term exposure. Theta-band (4–12 Hz) power-change patterns during correctly performed tasks differed pre- vs post-exposure, and after long-term exposure the theta power-change pattern became similar across normal and delayed tasks. LFP-based classification accuracy for normal vs delayed tasks decreased significantly (p<0.05) from an initial 84.2% after exposure.",
  "effect_direction": "harm",
  "limitations": [
    "Sample size not reported in the provided abstract.",
    "Specific exposure metrics beyond frequency and duration (e.g., SAR, field strength) not reported in the provided abstract.",
    "Details of control/sham conditions and randomization/blinding not described in the provided abstract.",
    "Findings are from an animal model; generalizability to humans is not established in the provided abstract."
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.74,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation",
    "RF-EMR",
    "900 MHz",
    "mobile phone range",
    "dipole antenna",
    "rat",
    "working memory",
    "T-maze",
    "local field potential",
    "medial prefrontal cortex",
    "theta band",
    "microelectrode array"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "mobile-phones",
      "weight": 0.86,
      "reason": "Exposure described as mobile phone range RF-EMR at 900 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: 10.1016/j.bbr.2020.112703
PubMed: 32461126

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