Pernicious effects of long-term, continuous 900-MHz electromagnetic field throughout adolescence on hippocampus morphology, biochemistry and pyramidal neuron numbers in 60-day-old Sprague Dawley male rats.

Journal of chemical neuroanatomy · 2016 · Harm · Low evidence

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HarmLow evidencePaper 4842

Rats exposed to 900-MHz EMF (1 h/day throughout adolescence) showed increased pyknotic neurons on histopathology and fewer pyramidal neurons on stereological analysis compared with control and sham groups. Biochemical analyses showed increased malondialdehyde…

Study snapshot

PublicationJournal of chemical neuroanatomy · 2016

Study typeanimal

Reported directionHarm

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

The central nervous system (CNS) begins developing in the intrauterine period, a process that continues until adulthood. Contact with chemical substances, drugs or environmental agents such as electromagnetic field (EMF) during adolescence therefore has the potential to disturb the development of the morphological architecture of components of the CNS (such as the hippocampus). The hippocampus is essential to such diverse functions as memory acquisition and integration and spatial maneuvering. EMF can result in severe damage to both the morphology of the hippocampus and its principal functions during adolescence. Although children and adolescents undergo greater exposure to EMF than adults, the information currently available regarding the effects of exposure to EMF during this period is as yet insufficient. This study investigated the 60-day-old male rat hippocampus following exposure to 900 megahertz (MHz) EMF throughout the adolescent period using stereological, histopathological and biochemical analysis techniques. Eighteen male Sprague Dawley rats aged 21days were assigned into control, sham and EMF groups on a random basis. No procedure was performed on the control group rats. The EMF group (EMFGr) was exposed to a 900-MHz EMF for 1h daily from beginning to end of adolescence. The sham group rats were held in the EMF cage but were not exposed to EMF. All rats were sacrificed at 60days of age. Their brains were extracted and halved. The left hemispheres were set aside for biochemical analyses and the right hemispheres were subjected to stereological and histopathological evaluation. Histopathological examination revealed increased numbers of pyknotic neurons with black or dark blue cytoplasm on EMFGr slides stained with cresyl violet. Stereological analyses revealed fewer pyramidal neurons in EMFGr than in the other two groups. Biochemical analyses showed an increase in malondialdehyde and glutathione levels, but a decrease in catalase levels in EMFGr. Our results indicate that oxidative stress-related morphological damage and pyramidal neuron loss may be observed in the rat hippocampus following exposure to 900-MHz EMF throughout the adolescent period.

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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

PopulationSprague Dawley male rats (exposed during adolescence; assessed at 60 days old)

Sample size18

ExposureRF · 900 MHz · 1 h daily throughout adolescence (from age 21 days to 60 days)

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 78% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Outcomes measured

Hippocampus histopathology (pyknotic neurons)
Stereological counts of pyramidal neurons
Biochemical markers of oxidative stress (malondialdehyde, glutathione, catalase)

Limitations

Small sample size (18 rats total across three groups)
Exposure metric details such as SAR or field strength not reported in the abstract
Only male rats studied

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "animal",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "RF",
    "source": null,
    "frequency_mhz": 900,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "1 h daily throughout adolescence (from age 21 days to 60 days)"
  },
  "population": "Sprague Dawley male rats (exposed during adolescence; assessed at 60 days old)",
  "sample_size": 18,
  "outcomes": [
    "Hippocampus histopathology (pyknotic neurons)",
    "Stereological counts of pyramidal neurons",
    "Biochemical markers of oxidative stress (malondialdehyde, glutathione, catalase)"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Rats exposed to 900-MHz EMF (1 h/day throughout adolescence) showed increased pyknotic neurons on histopathology and fewer pyramidal neurons on stereological analysis compared with control and sham groups. Biochemical analyses showed increased malondialdehyde and glutathione levels and decreased catalase levels in the EMF-exposed group.",
  "effect_direction": "harm",
  "limitations": [
    "Small sample size (18 rats total across three groups)",
    "Exposure metric details such as SAR or field strength not reported in the abstract",
    "Only male rats studied"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "900 MHz",
    "RF-EMF",
    "adolescence",
    "hippocampus",
    "oxidative stress",
    "pyramidal neurons",
    "Sprague Dawley",
    "stereology",
    "histopathology",
    "malondialdehyde",
    "glutathione",
    "catalase"
  ],
  "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: 10.1016/j.jchemneu.2016.07.004
PubMed: 27430379

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