Chronic effect of pulsed 1800 MHz EMR on amino acid neurotransmitters in 3 different areas of juvenile and young adult rat brain

2018 · Harm · Low evidence

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HarmLow evidencePaper 1990

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2018

Study typeanimal

Reported directionHarm

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Chronic effect of pulsed 1800 MHz EMR on amino acid neurotransmitters in 3 different areas of juvenile and young adult rat brain Ahmed NA, Radwan NM, Aboul Ezz HS, Khadrawy YA, Salama NA. The chronic effect of pulsed 1800 MHz electromagnetic radiation on amino acid neurotransmitters in three different areas of juvenile and young adult rat brain. Toxicol Ind Health. 2018 Oct 21:748233718798975. doi: 10.1177/0748233718798975. Abstract The extensive use of mobile phones worldwide has raised increasing concerns about the effects of electromagnetic radiation (EMR) on the brain due to the proximity of the mobile phone to the head and the appearance of several adverse neurological effects after mobile phone use. It has been hypothesized that the EMR-induced neurological effects may be mediated by amino acid neurotransmitters. Thus, the present study investigated the effect of EMR (frequency 1800 MHz, specific absorption rate 0.843 W/kg, power density 0.02 mW/cm2, modulated at 217 Hz) on the concentrations of amino acid neurotransmitters (glutamic acid, aspartic acid, gamma aminobutyric acid, glycine, taurine, and the amide glutamine) in the hippocampus, striatum, and hypothalamus of juvenile and young adult rats. The juvenile and young adult animals were each divided into two groups: control rats and rats exposed to EMR 1 h daily for 1, 2, and 4 months. A subgroup of rats were exposed daily to EMR for 4 months and then left without exposure for 1 month to study the recovery from EMR exposure. Amino acid neurotransmitters were measured in the hippocampus, striatum, and hypothalamus using high-performance liquid chromatography. Exposure to EMR induced significant changes in amino acid neurotransmitters in the studied brain areas of juvenile and young adult rats, being more prominent in juvenile animals. It could be concluded that the alterations in amino acid neurotransmitters induced by EMR exposure of juvenile and young adult rats may underlie many of the neurological effects reported after EMR exposure including cognitive and memory impairment and sleep disorders. Some of these effects may persist for some time after stopping exposure. 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

PopulationJuvenile and young adult rats

Sample sizeNot supplied

ExposureRF · 1800 MHz · 0.843 W/kg · 1 h daily for 1, 2, and 4 months; recovery subgroup: 4 months exposure then 1 month no exposure

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 74% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Exposure to pulsed 1800 MHz EMR (SAR 0.843 W/kg; power density 0.02 mW/cm2; 217 Hz modulation) induced significant changes in amino acid neurotransmitter concentrations in hippocampus, striatum, and hypothalamus of juvenile and young adult rats, with effects more prominent in juvenile animals. The abstract states that some effects may persist for some time after stopping exposure.

Outcomes measured

Concentrations of amino acid neurotransmitters (glutamic acid, aspartic acid, gamma aminobutyric acid, glycine, taurine, glutamine) in hippocampus, striatum, hypothalamus

Limitations

Sample size not reported in abstract
No quantitative effect sizes or direction of neurotransmitter changes provided in abstract
Exposure source described generally (mobile phone proximity) but experimental setup details not provided in abstract

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "animal",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "RF",
    "source": "mobile phone",
    "frequency_mhz": 1800,
    "sar_wkg": 0.843,
    "duration": "1 h daily for 1, 2, and 4 months; recovery subgroup: 4 months exposure then 1 month no exposure"
  },
  "population": "Juvenile and young adult rats",
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "Concentrations of amino acid neurotransmitters (glutamic acid, aspartic acid, gamma aminobutyric acid, glycine, taurine, glutamine) in hippocampus, striatum, hypothalamus"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Exposure to pulsed 1800 MHz EMR (SAR 0.843 W/kg; power density 0.02 mW/cm2; 217 Hz modulation) induced significant changes in amino acid neurotransmitter concentrations in hippocampus, striatum, and hypothalamus of juvenile and young adult rats, with effects more prominent in juvenile animals. The abstract states that some effects may persist for some time after stopping exposure.",
  "effect_direction": "harm",
  "limitations": [
    "Sample size not reported in abstract",
    "No quantitative effect sizes or direction of neurotransmitter changes provided in abstract",
    "Exposure source described generally (mobile phone proximity) but experimental setup details not provided in abstract"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.74,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "1800 MHz",
    "RF-EMR",
    "pulsed",
    "SAR",
    "power density",
    "217 Hz modulation",
    "juvenile rats",
    "young adult rats",
    "hippocampus",
    "striatum",
    "hypothalamus",
    "amino acid neurotransmitters",
    "glutamate",
    "GABA",
    "HPLC"
  ],
  "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: 10.1177/0748233718798975
PubMed: Not supplied

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