Study type: Medical/biological study (experimental study)

Ultrawideband radiation and pentylenetetrazol-induced convulsions in rats med./bio.

Published in: Bioelectromagnetics 1999; 20 (5): 327-329

Aim of study (acc. to author and editor)

To study the effect of ultra wideband exposure on pentylenetetrazol-induced convulsions in rats.

Background/further details

In a previous study (Erwin, D.N. and Hurt, W.H. (1993): Biological effects of ultrawide band emissions. Proceedings of Human Health Effects Science Review Panel. Washington DC.: Theater Nuclear Warfare Program. pp 91-95) it was found that rats exposed to ultra wideband after receiving a convulsant drug tended toward longer latency to the onset of convulsion than the no-exposure group. Although the effect was not statistically significant, it stimulated interest in present investigation. Because seizure activity is a depolarizing shift characteristic of a large excitatory postsynaptic potential, one might expect some change in chemically induced seizure activity if ultra wideband exposure indeed alters biological membranes.
To test this hypothesis, an ED99 dose (the dose at which 99% of the animals exhibit the target response) of the convulsant pentylenetetrazol or a saline solution was given just before ultra wideband or sham exposure. Resultant seizure activity was recorded.

Endpoint

Exposure

Exposure Parameters
Exposure 1:
Modulation type: pulsed
Exposure duration: 2 min

Exposure 1

Main characteristics
Type
Waveform
Exposure duration 2 min
Additional info Reference article: Bao et al. 1995
Modulation
Modulation type pulsed
Pulse width 1.92 ns
Rise time 176 s
Repetition frequency 1,000 Hz
Exposure setup
Exposure source
Distance between exposed object and exposure source 0.051 m
Chamber RF shielded anechoic chamber (3.3 m x 2.4 x 2.0 m) with plastic holding cage set on a 5.1 Styrofoam stage in line with the center of the field.
Parameters
Measurand Value Type Method Mass Remarks
SAR 16 µW/g unspecified estimated unspecified at a rate of 1000 pulses/s
electric field strength 400 V/cm peak value measured unspecified +/- 5 kV/m

Exposed system:

Methods Endpoint/measurement parameters/methodology

Investigated system:
Time of investigation:
  • during exposure
  • after exposure

Main outcome of study (acc. to author)

The results show no effect of ultra wideband exposure on pentylenetetrazol-induced seizure activity, at least for the exposure parameters used here.

Study character:

Study funded by

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