916 MHz electromagnetic field exposure affects rat behavior and hippocampal neuronal discharge

Dongmei Hao; Lei Yang; Su Chen; Yonghao Tian; Shuicai Wu

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1673-5374.2012.19.007

916 MHz electromagnetic field exposure affects rat behavior and hippocampal neuronal discharge

Neural Regen Res. 2012 Jul 5;7(19):1488-92. doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1673-5374.2012.19.007.

Authors

Dongmei Hao¹, Lei Yang¹, Su Chen², Yonghao Tian², Shuicai Wu¹

Affiliations

¹ College of Life Science and Bioengineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China.
² College of Biomedical Engineering, South-Central University for Nationalities, Wuhan 430074, Hubei Province, China.

PMID: 25657684
PMCID: PMC4308780
DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1673-5374.2012.19.007

Abstract

Wistar rats were exposed to a 916 MHz, 10 W/m(2) mobile phone electromagnetic field for 6 hours a day, 5 days a week. Average completion times in an eight-arm radial maze were longer in the exposed rats than control rats after 4-5 weeks of exposure. Error rates in the exposed rats were greater than the control rats at 6 weeks. Hippocampal neurons from the exposed rats showed irregular firing patterns during the experiment, and they exhibited decreased spiking activity 6-9 weeks compared with that after 2-5 weeks of exposure. These results indicate that 916 MHz electromagnetic fields influence learning and memory in rats during exposure, but long-term effects are not obvious.

Keywords: Wistar rats; electromagnetic field; feeding behavior; maze learning; neural regeneration; neurons.