Radial arm maze performance of rats following repeated low level microwave radiation exposure.

Bioelectromagnetics · 2004 · No effect · Low evidence

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No effectLow evidencePaper 6419

Study snapshot

PublicationBioelectromagnetics · 2004

Study typeanimal

Reported directionNo effect

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

We examined the possibility of changes in "working" memory of rats following whole body exposure to microwave (MW) radiation. During each of 10 days, we exposed rats within circularly polarized waveguides for 45 min to 2450 MHz fields at whole body SARs of 0.6 W/kg (2 micros pulses, 500 pps), followed by testing in a 12 arm, radial arm maze (RAM). Rats received a preexposure injection of one of three psychoactive compounds or saline, to determine whether a compound would interact with MW exposure to affect performance in the maze. Error rate, i.e., reentry into arms already visited, and time to criterion data for 10 consecutive days of testing were analyzed by a three way analysis of variance (ANOVA) using main effects of "exposure" and "drug" and a repeated factor of "test day." Our alpha limit for significance was P <.05. Analyzes of error rates revealed no significant exposure effect, no significant drug effect and no significant interaction between the two main factors. There was a significant difference in test days, as expected, with repeated test-trial days, which indicates that learning was accomplished. There was no significant interaction of test day and the other two factors. The results of our analyzes of time to criterion data included no significant exposure effect, a significant drug effect, a significant test day effect, and a significant interaction between drug and test day factors. Post hoc analyzes of the drug factor revealed that rats treated with either physostigmine or nalrexone hydrochloride, took significantly longer to complete the maze task than rats pretreated with saline or with naloxone methodide. We conclude that there is no evidence from the current study that exposure to of MW radiation under parameters examined caused decrements in the ability of rats to learn the spatial memory task.

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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 directionno_effect

PopulationRats

Sample sizeNot supplied

Exposuremicrowave · 2450 MHz · 0.6 W/kg · 45 min/day for 10 days (whole-body exposure)

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 78% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Across 10 days of testing, analyses of error rates showed no significant microwave exposure effect and no exposure-by-drug interaction. Time-to-criterion analyses also showed no significant exposure effect; drug and test-day effects were observed, with some drugs increasing completion time. Authors conclude there was no evidence that the microwave exposure parameters used caused decrements in learning the spatial memory task.

Outcomes measured

Working memory / spatial memory performance in a 12-arm radial arm maze
Error rate (re-entries into previously visited arms)
Time to criterion (maze completion performance)

Limitations

Sample size not reported in abstract
Only one frequency (2450 MHz) and one whole-body SAR level (0.6 W/kg) tested
Exposure regimen limited to 45 min/day for 10 days
Outcomes limited to radial arm maze measures; other neurobehavioral endpoints not described

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "animal",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "microwave",
    "source": null,
    "frequency_mhz": 2450,
    "sar_wkg": 0.6,
    "duration": "45 min/day for 10 days (whole-body exposure)"
  },
  "population": "Rats",
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "Working memory / spatial memory performance in a 12-arm radial arm maze",
    "Error rate (re-entries into previously visited arms)",
    "Time to criterion (maze completion performance)"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Across 10 days of testing, analyses of error rates showed no significant microwave exposure effect and no exposure-by-drug interaction. Time-to-criterion analyses also showed no significant exposure effect; drug and test-day effects were observed, with some drugs increasing completion time. Authors conclude there was no evidence that the microwave exposure parameters used caused decrements in learning the spatial memory task.",
  "effect_direction": "no_effect",
  "limitations": [
    "Sample size not reported in abstract",
    "Only one frequency (2450 MHz) and one whole-body SAR level (0.6 W/kg) tested",
    "Exposure regimen limited to 45 min/day for 10 days",
    "Outcomes limited to radial arm maze measures; other neurobehavioral endpoints not described"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "rats",
    "microwave radiation",
    "2450 MHz",
    "whole-body exposure",
    "SAR 0.6 W/kg",
    "radial arm maze",
    "working memory",
    "spatial learning",
    "physostigmine",
    "nalrexone hydrochloride",
    "naloxone methodide"
  ],
  "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: 10.1002/bem.10148
PubMed: 14696053

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