To compare the effects of pulsed and continuous wave (CW) 2.8 GHzmicrowaves on the performance of rats maintained by a temporally defined schedule of positive reinforcement. In this DRL-schedule (differential-reinforcement-of-low-rate), delivery of food pellets was contingent upon successive lever-pressing responses that occured within a defined period.
2.44 m x 2.44 m x 2.44 m double-walled copper-screened RF-anechoic chamber lined with pyramidally shaped MW-absorbing material
Setup
Animals were constrained in a sleeve holder constructed of fine plastic mesh that was suspended from a Styrofoam frame centered on the antenna's aperture approx. 6.3 wavelengths from the proximal edge of the horn. The animal's long axis was perpendicular to the propagation direction of the vertically polarisedEF.
Changes of normal performance were more pronounced after a 30 minute exposure to the pulsed wave field than to the continuous wave field. The rate of emission of appropriately timed responses declined after exposure to pulsed wave at 10 and 15 mW/cm², whereas irradiation at the same power levels to the continuous wave field did not consistently affect the rate of responding. Alteration in performance associated with microwaveirradiation was not necessarily related to a general decline in responding; in some instances, increases in overall rates of responding were revealed.
