Medical/biological study (experimental study)

Fetal Radiofrequency Radiation Exposure From 800-1900 Mhz-Rated Cellular Telephones Affects Neurodevelopment and Behavior in Mice med./bio.

By: Aldad TS, Gan G, Gao XB, Taylor HS

Published in: Sci Rep 2012; 2: 312

Aim of study (acc. to author)

To determine if prenatal radiofrequency exposure leads to impaired memory or behavior after birth, the authors performed behavioral and electrophysiological studies in mice exposed in utero to 800-1900 MHz radiofrequency irradiation from cellular phones.

Background/further details

39 pregnant mice were exposed for 9 or 15 h/day (n=6) or for 24 h/day (n=33) during their gestational days 1-17. 42 mice were sham exposed. The memory test was performed with 161 pups (82 exposed and 79 control mice). The light-dark box test (anxiety/hyperactivity) was performed on 141 pups (71 exposed and 70 control mice) and the step-down test (fearful behavior) on 98 mice (47 exposed and 51 control mice).
Electrophysiological measurements were performed with coronal cortical slices prepared from the prefrontal area of the brain and the ventral medial hypothalamus of 3-4 week old mice (n=9-14).

Endpoint

effects on the neurological system: electrophysiological changes
cognitive/behavioral endpoints: memory

Exposure

- mobile communications
- mobile phone
- GSM

Exposure	Parameters
Exposure 1: 800–1,900 MHz Exposure duration: continuous for 0, 9, 15 or 24 hours/day on day 1-17 of gestation	SAR: 1.6 W/kg

General information

exposure group I: 33 pregnant mice (24 hours/day) exposure group II: 6 pregnant mice (9 or 15 hours/day) control group: 42 pregnant mice (0 hours/day)

Exposure 1

Main characteristics

Frequency	800–1,900 MHz
Type	electromagnetic field
Exposure duration	continuous for 0, 9, 15 or 24 hours/day on day 1-17 of gestation

Exposure setup

Exposure source	cellular phone
Distance between exposed object and exposure source	4.5 cm
Chamber	13 experimental cages and 14 control cages, each holding 3 female mice and 1 male mouse
Setup	phones positioned above each cage over feeding bottle area at a distance of 4.5-22.3 cm from each mouse (depending on location of animals within cage); phones in muted, uninterrupted active call mode for the whole duration of the experiment
Sham exposure	A sham exposure was conducted.

Parameters

Measurand	Value	Type	Method	Mass	Remarks
SAR	1.6 W/kg	-	-	-	-

Exposed system:

animal
mouse/CD-1
whole body

Methods Endpoint/measurement parameters/methodology

endocrine changes: gestational stress (serum corticosterone levels on day 12; ELISA)
effects on the neurological system: synaptic efficacy of glutamatergic synapses: miniature excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSP) in neurons of two different brain areas within the brain slices (whole cell patch-clamp)
cognitive/behavioral endpoints: memory (object recognition test at 8, 12, and 16 weeks; time spent exploring a novel object compared with familiar objects); anxiety and hyperactivity (light-dark box test at 12, 15 and 18 weeks of age; time spent in the dark and number of transitions into the light); fearful behavior (step-down test at 12 weeks and adulthood (40 weeks); time spent on a platform); video camera recordings

Investigated system:

tissue slices
investigation on living organism

Investigated organ system:

brain/CNS

Time of investigation:

during exposure
after exposure

Main outcome of study (acc. to author)

The different tests revealed that mice exposed in utero were hyperactive, had an impaired memory and decreased anxiety. Miniature excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSP) recording revealed that these behavioral changes were due to altered neuronal programming. Exposed mice exhibited exposure duration-dependent impaired glutamatergic synaptic transmission onto layer V pyramidal cells of the prefrontal cortex (i.e. synaptic efficacy of glutamatergic transmission decreased) and the effects were not limited to the cortex (effect also found in ventral medial hypothalamus).
The corticosterone level in the exposed dams was not significantly different from that in the control females, eliminating stress of dams as a source of the observed behavioral and electrophysiologic differences in the pups.
The data demonstrate that fetal exposure to 800-1900 MHz from cellular phones leads to behavioral and neurophysiological alterations that persist into adulthood. Further experiments are needed to determine the risk of exposure during pregnancy.

Study character:

medical/biological study
experimental study
full/main study
blind study

Study funded by

Environment and Human Health, Inc. (EHHI), USA
National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD; U.S. National Institutes of Health), Maryland, USA

Comments on this article

Aldad TS et al. (2013): CORRIGENDUM: Fetal Radiofrequency Radiation Exposure From 800-1900 Mhz-Rated Cellular Telephones Affects Neurodevelopment and Behavior in Mice

Roser K et al. (2016): Mobile phone use, behavioural problems and concentration capacity in adolescents: A prospective study
Razavinasab M et al. (2016): Maternal mobile phone exposure alters intrinsic electrophysiological properties of CA1 pyramidal neurons in rat offspring
Li HJ et al. (2015): Alterations of cognitive function and 5-HT system in rats after long term microwave exposure
Ntzouni MP et al. (2013): Transient and cumulative memory impairments induced by GSM 1.8 GHz cell phone signal in a mouse model
Ikinci A et al. (2013): The Effects of Prenatal Exposure to a 900 Megahertz Electromagnetic Field on Hippocampus Morphology and Learning Behavior in Rat Pups
Haghani M et al. (2013): Maternal mobile phone exposure adversely affects the electrophysiological properties of Purkinje neurons in rat offspring
Aboul Ezz HS et al. (2013): The effect of pulsed electromagnetic radiation from mobile phone on the levels of monoamine neurotransmitters in four different areas of rat brain
Guxens M et al. (2013): Maternal cell phone and cordless phone use during pregnancy and behaviour problems in 5-year-old children
Divan HA et al. (2012): Cell phone use and behavioural problems in young children
Watilliaux A et al. (2011): Effect of exposure to 1,800 MHz electromagnetic fields on heat shock proteins and glial cells in the brain of developing rats
Ntzouni MP et al. (2011): Short-term memory in mice is affected by mobile phone radiation
Divan HA et al. (2011): Prenatal cell phone use and developmental milestone delays among infants
Noor NA et al. (2011): Variations in amino acid neurotransmitters in some brain areas of adult and young male albino rats due to exposure to mobile phone radiation
Ragbetli MC et al. (2010): The effect of mobile phone on the number of Purkinje cells: a stereological study
Ait-Aissa S et al. (2010): In situ detection of gliosis and apoptosis in the brains of young rats exposed in utero to a Wi-Fi signal
Güler G et al. (2010): The effect of radiofrequency radiation on DNA and lipid damage in non-pregnant and pregnant rabbits and their newborns
Daniels WM et al. (2009): The effect of electromagnetic radiation in the mobile phone range on the behaviour of the rat
Ragbetli MC et al. (2009): Effect of prenatal exposure to mobile phone on pyramidal cell numbers in the mouse hippocampus: a stereological study
Divan HA et al. (2008): Prenatal and postnatal exposure to cell phone use and behavioral problems in children
Kumlin T et al. (2007): Mobile phone radiation and the developing brain: behavioral and morphological effects in juvenile rats
Bornhausen M et al. (2000): Prenatal exposure to 900 MHz, cell-phone electromagnetic fields had no effect on operant-behavior performances of adult rats
Drecun M et al. (1990): Influence of Pulsed Wave Microwave Radiation on the Rat EEG during the Postnatal Period (Brief Report)
Galvin MJ et al. (1986): Influence of pre- and postnatal exposure of rats to 2.45-GHz microwave radiation on neurobehavioral function
Merritt JH et al. (1984): In utero exposure to microwave radiation and rat brain development