RF EMR exposure effects on amygdala morphology, place preference behavior and brain caspase-3 activity in rats

2018 · Mixed · Low evidence

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MixedLow evidencePaper 2173

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2018

Study typeanimal

Reported directionMixed

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

RF EMR exposure effects on amygdala morphology, place preference behavior and brain caspase-3 activity in rats Narayanan SN, Mohapatra N, John P, Kumar NKRS, Nayak SB, Bhat PG. Radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation exposure effects on amygdala morphology, place preference behavior and brain caspase-3 activity in rats. Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology, Available online 31 January 2018. Highlights • Chronic 900 MHz exposure perturbed cellular architecture of rat amygdala. • Number of healthy neurons decreased in basolateral, cortical nuclei but not in central nuclei. • Dendritic arborization of basolateral neurons was found to be reduced. • This was associated with altered place preference behavior. • Brain caspase-3 was not found to be altered after chronic radiation exposure. Abstract The purpose of the study was to evaluate the changes in amygdala morphology and emotional behaviors, upon exposure to chronic RFEMR in adolescent rats. Four weeks old male albino Wistar rats were exposed to 900 MHz (power density:146.60 μW/cm2) from a mobile phone in silent-mode for 28 days. Amygdala morphology was studied using cresyl violet, TUNEL and Golgi-Cox staining. Place preference behavior was studied using light/dark chamber test and following this brain caspase-3 activity was determined. Number of healthy neurons was decreased in the basolateral amygdala and cortical amygdala but not in the central amygdala after RF-EMR exposure. It also induced apoptosis in the amygdala. RF-EMR exposure altered dendritic arborization pattern in basolateral amygdala but not in the central amygdala. Altered place preference and hyperactivity-like behavior was evident after RF-EMR exposure, but brain caspase-3 activity did not change. EMR exposure perturbed architecture of amygdala and this was associated with altered place preference. sciencedirect.com

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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 directionmixed

PopulationFour weeks old male albino Wistar rats (adolescent rats)

Sample sizeNot supplied

ExposureRF · 900 MHz · 28 days (chronic exposure; from 4-week-old rats)

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 78% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Male adolescent Wistar rats exposed to 900 MHz RF-EMR (power density 146.60 μW/cm2) from a mobile phone in silent mode for 28 days showed decreased numbers of healthy neurons in basolateral and cortical amygdala (not central amygdala), evidence of apoptosis in the amygdala, and reduced dendritic arborization in basolateral amygdala (not central). RF-EMR exposure was associated with altered place preference and hyperactivity-like behavior, while brain caspase-3 activity did not change.

Outcomes measured

Amygdala morphology/cellular architecture (cresyl violet staining)
Apoptosis in amygdala (TUNEL)
Dendritic arborization pattern (Golgi-Cox staining)
Place preference / emotional behavior (light/dark chamber test)
Brain caspase-3 activity

Limitations

Sample size not reported in provided abstract/metadata
Specific exposure regimen details beyond frequency, power density, and duration (e.g., daily exposure time, distance) not provided in the abstract
Animal study; generalizability to humans not addressed in the abstract

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "animal",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "RF",
    "source": "mobile phone",
    "frequency_mhz": 900,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "28 days (chronic exposure; from 4-week-old rats)"
  },
  "population": "Four weeks old male albino Wistar rats (adolescent rats)",
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "Amygdala morphology/cellular architecture (cresyl violet staining)",
    "Apoptosis in amygdala (TUNEL)",
    "Dendritic arborization pattern (Golgi-Cox staining)",
    "Place preference / emotional behavior (light/dark chamber test)",
    "Brain caspase-3 activity"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Male adolescent Wistar rats exposed to 900 MHz RF-EMR (power density 146.60 μW/cm2) from a mobile phone in silent mode for 28 days showed decreased numbers of healthy neurons in basolateral and cortical amygdala (not central amygdala), evidence of apoptosis in the amygdala, and reduced dendritic arborization in basolateral amygdala (not central). RF-EMR exposure was associated with altered place preference and hyperactivity-like behavior, while brain caspase-3 activity did not change.",
  "effect_direction": "mixed",
  "limitations": [
    "Sample size not reported in provided abstract/metadata",
    "Specific exposure regimen details beyond frequency, power density, and duration (e.g., daily exposure time, distance) not provided in the abstract",
    "Animal study; generalizability to humans not addressed in the abstract"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation",
    "RF-EMR",
    "900 MHz",
    "mobile phone",
    "adolescent rats",
    "Wistar rats",
    "amygdala",
    "neuronal morphology",
    "apoptosis",
    "TUNEL",
    "Golgi-Cox",
    "dendritic arborization",
    "place preference",
    "light/dark chamber",
    "caspase-3"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "mobile-phones",
      "weight": 0.9,
      "reason": "Exposure source described as a mobile phone (silent mode) at 900 MHz."
    },
    {
      "slug": "animal-studies",
      "weight": 0.85,
      "reason": "Experimental study conducted in rats assessing brain morphology and behavior after RF exposure."
    }
  ]
}

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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: Not supplied
PubMed: Not supplied

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