The Effects of Prenatal Exposure to a 900 Megahertz Electromagnetic Field on Hippocampus Morphology and Learning Behavior in Rat Pups

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect on hippocampus morphology and learning behavior in rat pups following prenatal exposure to a 900 megahertz (MHz) electromagnetic field (EMF). Female Sprague Dawley rats weighing 180-250 g were left to mate with males. The following day, pregnant rats identified as such by the vaginal smear test were divided into two groups, control (n=3) and EMF (n=3). No procedures were performed on the control group. The rats in the EMF group were exposed to 900 MHz EMF on days 13 to 21 of pregnancy, for 1 h a day. Female rat pups were removed from their mothers at 22 days old. We then established two newborn rat groups, a 13 member control group and a 10 member EMF group. Radial arm maze and passive avoidance tests were used to measure rat pups' learning and memory performance. All rats were decapitated on the postnatal 32nd day. Routine histological procedures were performed on the brain tissues, and sections were stained with Cresyl fast violet. The radial arm maze (p=0.007) and passive avoidance (p=0.032) tests were administered to both groups under identical conditions, and compromised learning behavior was determined in the EMF group rats. Morphological compromise was also determined in the EMF group sections. Our results show that the application of a 900 MHz EMF in the prenatal period adversely affected female pups' learning behavior and also resulted in histopathological changes appearing in the hippocampus.

Isoflurane Preconditioning Attenuates Brain Injury Induced by Electromagnetic Pulse via the TLR4/NFκB Signaling Pathway

“…The effects of electromagnetic radiation on human health cannot be ignored, and there have been many studies on the topic in recent years [20]. After SD pregnant rats are exposed to 900 MHz EMF, the subsequent learning and memory ability of female mice is affected, and histopathological changes are seen in the hippocampus [21]. Recently, some scholars have placed microglia (N9) and astrocytes in 1800-MHz RF conditions and measured the proinflammatory cytokine IL-1 β , TNF- α , and the expression of mRNA; the results showed that the IL-1 β mRNA level in microglia after an RF exposure of 12 h to 24 h increased significantly, TNF- α mRNA level in microglia after RF exposure of 3 h, 6 h, 12 h, and 24 h were increased, while this phenomenon was not found in astrocytes; additionally, RF-EMF induces a microglial inflammatory reaction by increasing the production of proinflammatory cytokines [22].…”

The effects of prenatal long-duration exposure to 900-MHz electromagnetic field on the 21-day-old newborn male rat liver

“…Rats in the EG were exposed to the effect of a 900-MHz EMF for 1 h daily at the same time each day (1100-1200 hours) inside a specially manufactured Plexiglas jar on days 13-21 of pregnancy. We used an EMF application protocol already described in previous studies to expose EG pregnant rats to a 900-MHz EMF (10)(11)(12)(13). During EMF application, the frequency on the EMF inside the jar with rats inside the jar was measured in order to determine the intensity of electrical field distribution.…”

The protective effect of vitamin supplementation (E and E + C) on passive avoidance learning and memory during exposure to 900 MHz RFW emitted from BTS

“…In one study, exposure to 0.9 GHz/1.8 GHz (1 h/day for 4 weeks) was reported to damage the PAL and hippocampal morphology in rats (Narayanan et al, 2010). In another study, prenatal exposure to 900 MHz EMF (1 h/day, on days 13-21 of pregnancy) adversely affected female pups' learning behavior and histopathology of the hippocampus ( _ Ikinci et al, 2013). Both acute (1 week) and chronic (10 weeks) exposure to 900 Figure 1.…”