Effects of Mobile Phone Radiation upon the Mammalian Brain
(2008) In Lund University Faculty of Medicine Doctoral Dissertation Series 2008:111.- Abstract
- oday about half of the world's population owns the microwave producing mobile phones. The blood-brain barrier (BBB) protects the mammalian brain from potentially harmful substances circulating in the blood. The permeability of the BBB has been shown to be increased after exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMFs) of the kind emitted by mobile phones and neuronal damage has been found several weeks after the exposure.
The aim of this thesis was to further investigate the effects of exposure to global system for mobile communications (GSM) radiation upon the rat brain.
In Paper I, rats were exposed to GSM radiation for two hours, followed by a seven-day recovery period after which the animals were sacrificed. The GSM... (More) - oday about half of the world's population owns the microwave producing mobile phones. The blood-brain barrier (BBB) protects the mammalian brain from potentially harmful substances circulating in the blood. The permeability of the BBB has been shown to be increased after exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMFs) of the kind emitted by mobile phones and neuronal damage has been found several weeks after the exposure.
The aim of this thesis was to further investigate the effects of exposure to global system for mobile communications (GSM) radiation upon the rat brain.
In Paper I, rats were exposed to GSM radiation for two hours, followed by a seven-day recovery period after which the animals were sacrificed. The GSM exposed rats had a significantly increased BBB permeability as compared to the sham exposed control rats, seen as increased amount of albumin extravasation.
In Paper II, we examined the effects of long-term exposure of rats for totally 55 weeks, 2 hours weekly, to GSM radiation. After this protracted exposure, an open-field test demonstrated no behavioural changes. On the other hand, the episodic memory was impaired after GSM exposure, as demonstrated in the episodic-like memory test. In Paper III histopathological light microscopial examinations of the long-term GSM exposed animals were presented. Albumin extravasation, neuronal damage and signs of accelerated ageing were investigated. No significant difference between the GSM exposed and sham control rats was seen.
In Paper IV, microarray analysis of the gene expression in cortex and hippocampus of mobile phone exposed rats was performed. 31, 099 rat genes, including splicing variants, were analyzed. At the single gene level, no statistically significant alterations could be seen. However, with Gene Ontology (GO) analysis, 25 predefined GO categories had significantly altered gene expression in cortex and 20 GO categories had significantly altered gene expression in hippocampus. Four GO categories were among the ten most significantly altered groups in both cortex and hippocampus after GSM exposure; that is, extracellular region, signal transducer activity, intrinsic to membrane and integral to membrane.
Considering the vast number of mobile phone users today, the non-thermal effects of mobile phoning and the mechanisms behind them, must indeed continue to be investigated. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/1267250
- author
- Nittby, Henrietta LU
- supervisor
-
- Leif Salford LU
- Bengt Widegren LU
- Bertil R Persson LU
- opponent
-
- Professor Henry, Lai, University of Washington
- organization
- publishing date
- 2008
- type
- Thesis
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- mobile phone, electromagnetic radiation, Blood-brain barrier, brain, rat
- in
- Lund University Faculty of Medicine Doctoral Dissertation Series
- volume
- 2008:111
- pages
- 130 pages
- publisher
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University
- defense location
- Segerfalksalen
- defense date
- 2008-12-06 09:00:00
- ISSN
- 1652-8220
- ISBN
- 978-91-86059-64-4
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- additional info
- The information about affiliations in this record was updated in December 2015. The record was previously connected to the following departments: Clinic of Neurosurgery: University Hospital, Lund (LUR000009), Division IV (013230800)
- id
- 1be8b651-24b6-4524-84e9-099505036503 (old id 1267250)
- date added to LUP
- 2016-04-01 13:16:00
- date last changed
- 2019-05-22 02:01:21
@phdthesis{1be8b651-24b6-4524-84e9-099505036503,
abstract = {{oday about half of the world's population owns the microwave producing mobile phones. The blood-brain barrier (BBB) protects the mammalian brain from potentially harmful substances circulating in the blood. The permeability of the BBB has been shown to be increased after exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMFs) of the kind emitted by mobile phones and neuronal damage has been found several weeks after the exposure. <br/><br>
The aim of this thesis was to further investigate the effects of exposure to global system for mobile communications (GSM) radiation upon the rat brain. <br/><br>
In Paper I, rats were exposed to GSM radiation for two hours, followed by a seven-day recovery period after which the animals were sacrificed. The GSM exposed rats had a significantly increased BBB permeability as compared to the sham exposed control rats, seen as increased amount of albumin extravasation. <br/><br>
In Paper II, we examined the effects of long-term exposure of rats for totally 55 weeks, 2 hours weekly, to GSM radiation. After this protracted exposure, an open-field test demonstrated no behavioural changes. On the other hand, the episodic memory was impaired after GSM exposure, as demonstrated in the episodic-like memory test. In Paper III histopathological light microscopial examinations of the long-term GSM exposed animals were presented. Albumin extravasation, neuronal damage and signs of accelerated ageing were investigated. No significant difference between the GSM exposed and sham control rats was seen. <br/><br>
In Paper IV, microarray analysis of the gene expression in cortex and hippocampus of mobile phone exposed rats was performed. 31, 099 rat genes, including splicing variants, were analyzed. At the single gene level, no statistically significant alterations could be seen. However, with Gene Ontology (GO) analysis, 25 predefined GO categories had significantly altered gene expression in cortex and 20 GO categories had significantly altered gene expression in hippocampus. Four GO categories were among the ten most significantly altered groups in both cortex and hippocampus after GSM exposure; that is, extracellular region, signal transducer activity, intrinsic to membrane and integral to membrane. <br/><br>
Considering the vast number of mobile phone users today, the non-thermal effects of mobile phoning and the mechanisms behind them, must indeed continue to be investigated.}},
author = {{Nittby, Henrietta}},
isbn = {{978-91-86059-64-4}},
issn = {{1652-8220}},
keywords = {{mobile phone; electromagnetic radiation; Blood-brain barrier; brain; rat}},
language = {{eng}},
publisher = {{Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University}},
school = {{Lund University}},
series = {{Lund University Faculty of Medicine Doctoral Dissertation Series}},
title = {{Effects of Mobile Phone Radiation upon the Mammalian Brain}},
volume = {{2008:111}},
year = {{2008}},
}