Possible cause for altered spatial cognition of prepubescent rats exposed to chronic radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation

Abstract

The effects of chronic and repeated radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation (RFEMR) exposure on spatial cognition and hippocampal architecture were investigated in prepubescent rats. Four weeks old male Wistar rats were exposed to RF-EMR (900 MHz; SAR-1.15 W/kg with peak power density of 146.60 μW/cm(2)) for 1 h/day, for 28 days. Followed by this, spatial cognition was evaluated by Morris water maze test. To evaluate the hippocampal morphology; H&E staining, cresyl violet staining, and Golgi-Cox staining were performed on hippocampal sections. CA3 pyramidal neuron morphology and surviving neuron count (in CA3 region) were studied using H&E and cresyl violet stained sections. Dendritic arborization pattern of CA3 pyramidal neuron was investigated by concentric circle method. Progressive learning abilities were found to be decreased in RF-EMR exposed rats. Memory retention test performed 24 h after the last training revealed minor spatial memory deficit in RF-EMR exposed group. However, RF-EMR exposed rats exhibited poor spatial memory retention when tested 48 h after the final trial. Hirano bodies and Granulovacuolar bodies were absent in the CA3 pyramidal neurons of different groups studied. Nevertheless, RF-EMR exposure affected the viable cell count in dorsal hippocampal CA3 region. RF-EMR exposure influenced dendritic arborization pattern of both apical and basal dendritic trees in RF-EMR exposed rats. Structural changes found in the hippocampus of RF-EMR exposed rats could be one of the possible reasons for altered cognition.

Effect of 1.8 GHz radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation on novel object associative recognition memory in mice

“…found that Wistar rats exposed to RF-EMR (900 MHz; peak power density of 146.60 μW/cm 2 ) for 1 h/day for 28 consecutive days had significantly reduced dendritic branch points at the 40–60 μm concentric zone, and a progressive decrease in learning abilities measured using the Morris water maze test. They concluded that structural changes in the hippocampus in RF-EMR-exposed rats could be one possible reason for their altered cognitive abilities25. Although our results conversely indicated a positive effect of RF-EMR exposure in terms of enhanced novel object recognition and a parallel increase in spine density in hippocampal neurons, the relationship between hippocampal spine density and recognition memory was still retained.…”

Probing the Origins of 1,800 MHz Radio Frequency Electromagnetic Radiation Induced Damage in Mouse Immortalized Germ Cells and Spermatozoa in vitro

“…Adding to the debate is the lack of a characterized mechanism by which RF-EMR could affect biological systems. There is broadly, two opposing bodies of evidence, some that support the potential of RF-EMR to elicit a suite of detrimental effects in a variety of cell and tissues types including altered brain nerve branching ( 9 ), oxidative stress ( 10 – 14 ), genotoxic assault highlighted by micronuclei formation ( 15 , 16 ), and DNA fragmentation ( 13 , 17 , 18 ), while some find no elevation of oxidative stress ( 19 – 21 ) or DNA damage ( 22 – 24 ). The absence of a widely accepted mechanism of action that may account for the effects observed, complicates our ability to understand how RF-EMR interacts with specific cell types and to resolve the disparity in the literature.…”

Hippocampal lipidome and transcriptome profile alterations triggered by acute exposure of mice to GSM 1800 MHz mobile phone radiation: An exploratory study

“…Furthermore, the fact that mechanisms such as LTP, calcium signaling, cell cycle regulation, and death were affected may be associated with the increased Ca 2+ influx, apoptosis, synaptic changes, pyramidal cell loss, and reactive astrocytosis, which all have been reported to occur following MP radiation exposure (Bas, Odaci, Mollaoglu, Ucok, & Kaplan, ; Bas, Odaci, Kaplan, et al., ; Li et al., ; Maskey et al., ; Moghimi, Baharara, & Musavi, ; Narayanan et al., ; Odaci, Bas, & Kaplan, ; Sahin et al., ) and hence lead to learning and memory deficits, as previously reported by our group (Fragopoulou et al., ) and other groups (Li et al., ; Moghimi et al., ; Narayanan et al., ; Saikhedkar et al., ; Wang et al., ).…”

“…Hippocampus is integral to memory function and is a brain region greatly affected by mobile phone (MP) radiation. Several studies have documented mobile phone‐related learning and memory impairment in mice and rats (Fragopoulou et al., ; Hao et al., ; Li, Shi, Lu, Xu, & Liu, ; Narayanan, Kumar, Karun, Nayak, & Bhat, ; Narayanan, Kumar, Potu, Nayak, & Mailankot, ; Ntzouni, Skouroliakou, Kostomitsopoulos, & Margaritis, ; Ntzouni, Stamatakis, Stylianopoulou, & Margaritis, ), while others failed to provide any evidence connecting RF‐EMR with memory deficits (Dubreuil, Jay, & Edeline, ).…”