Testing of behavioral and cognitive development in rats after prenatal exposure to 1800 and 2400 MHz radiofrequency fields

2020 · Harm · Low evidence

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HarmLow evidencePaper 1617

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2020

Study typeanimal

Reported directionHarm

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Testing of behavioral and cognitive development in rats after prenatal exposure to 1800 and 2400 MHz radiofrequency fields Li ZQ, Zhang Y, Wan YM, Zhou Q, Liu C, Wu HX, Mu YZ, He YF, Rauniyar R, Wu XN. Testing of behavioral and cognitive development in rats after prenatal exposure to 1800 and 2400 MHz radiofrequency fields. J Radiat Res. 2020 Jan 11. pii: rrz097. doi: 10.1093/jrr/rrz097. Abstract The objective of the study was to explore the effects of behavioral and cognitive development in rats after prenatal exposure to 1800 and 2400 MHz radiofrequency fields. Pregnant female rats were exposed to radiofrequency fields beginning on the 21st day of pregnancy. The indicators of physiological and behavioral development were observed and measured in the offspring rats: Y maze measured at 3-weeks postnatal, open field at 7-weeks postnatal, and the expression of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) measured by reverse transcription-PCR in the hippocampus at 9-weeks postnatal. The body weight of the 1800 MHz group and the 1800 MHz + WiFi group showed a downward trend. The eye opening time of newborn rats was much earlier in the WiFi group than in the control group. Compared to the control group, the overall path length of the 1800 MHz + WiFi group was shortened and the stationary time was delayed. The path length of the WiFi group was shortened and the average velocity was increased in the error arm. The 1800 MHz + WiFi group displayed an increased trend in path length, duration, entry times and stationary time in the central area. In both the 1800 MHz + WiFi and WiFi groups, NR2A and NR2B expression was down-regulated, while NR2D, NR3A and NR3B were up-regulated. Moreover, NR1 and NR2C in the WiFi group were also up-regulated. Prenatal exposure to 1800 MHz and WiFi radiofrequency may affect the behavioral and cognitive development of offspring rats, which may be associated with altered mRNA expression of NMDARs in the hippocampus 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

PopulationPregnant female rats and offspring rats

Sample sizeNot supplied

ExposureRF · beginning on the 21st day of pregnancy (prenatal exposure)

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 74% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Body weight in the 1800 MHz group and the 1800 MHz + WiFi group showed a downward trend. Eye opening time was earlier in the WiFi group than in controls. Behavioral measures in Y maze/open field showed multiple changes versus control (e.g., shortened overall path length and delayed stationary time in the 1800 MHz + WiFi group; shortened path length and increased average velocity in the WiFi group in the error arm; increased trends in central area activity measures in the 1800 MHz + WiFi group). In the 1800 MHz + WiFi and WiFi groups, NR2A and NR2B mRNA were down-regulated while NR2D, NR3A and NR3B were up-regulated; additionally, NR1 and NR2C were up-regulated in the WiFi group.

Outcomes measured

Physiological development indicators in offspring (e.g., body weight, eye opening time)
Y maze performance at 3 weeks postnatal
Open field test measures at 7 weeks postnatal
Hippocampal NMDAR mRNA expression (NR1, NR2A, NR2B, NR2C, NR2D, NR3A, NR3B) at 9 weeks postnatal

Limitations

Sample size not reported in abstract
Exposure metrics (e.g., SAR, power density) not reported in abstract
Details of exposure regimen (daily duration, total days) not reported in abstract
Statistical significance not consistently specified (some results described as trends)

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "animal",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "RF",
    "source": "1800 MHz + WiFi",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "beginning on the 21st day of pregnancy (prenatal exposure)"
  },
  "population": "Pregnant female rats and offspring rats",
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "Physiological development indicators in offspring (e.g., body weight, eye opening time)",
    "Y maze performance at 3 weeks postnatal",
    "Open field test measures at 7 weeks postnatal",
    "Hippocampal NMDAR mRNA expression (NR1, NR2A, NR2B, NR2C, NR2D, NR3A, NR3B) at 9 weeks postnatal"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Body weight in the 1800 MHz group and the 1800 MHz + WiFi group showed a downward trend. Eye opening time was earlier in the WiFi group than in controls. Behavioral measures in Y maze/open field showed multiple changes versus control (e.g., shortened overall path length and delayed stationary time in the 1800 MHz + WiFi group; shortened path length and increased average velocity in the WiFi group in the error arm; increased trends in central area activity measures in the 1800 MHz + WiFi group). In the 1800 MHz + WiFi and WiFi groups, NR2A and NR2B mRNA were down-regulated while NR2D, NR3A and NR3B were up-regulated; additionally, NR1 and NR2C were up-regulated in the WiFi group.",
  "effect_direction": "harm",
  "limitations": [
    "Sample size not reported in abstract",
    "Exposure metrics (e.g., SAR, power density) not reported in abstract",
    "Details of exposure regimen (daily duration, total days) not reported in abstract",
    "Statistical significance not consistently specified (some results described as trends)"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.74,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "prenatal exposure",
    "rats",
    "radiofrequency fields",
    "1800 MHz",
    "2400 MHz",
    "WiFi",
    "behavioral development",
    "cognitive development",
    "Y maze",
    "open field",
    "hippocampus",
    "NMDAR",
    "mRNA expression"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": []
}

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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: 10.1093/jrr/rrz097
PubMed: Not supplied

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