Effects of 5.8 GHz microwave on hippocampal synaptic plasticity of rats

Abstract

Overview

The study investigates the impact of 5.8 GHz microwave exposure, a frequency gaining attention in wireless technology, on the hippocampal synaptic plasticity of rats, with potential implications for human neurological health.

Methods

• Morris Water maze (MWM), Novel object recognition (NOR), and Fear conditioning test (FCT) were conducted to evaluate spatial and non-spatial memory.
• Hippocampal neuron damage was assessed through morphology examination and analysis of brain injury factors in serum and mitochondrial membrane potential.
• The density of dendritic spines, synapse ultrastructure, and levels of neurologically significant proteins (PSD95, Synaptophysin, p-CREB, and CREB) were measured.

Findings

Exposure to 5.8 GHz microwave failed to induce visible differences in the cognitive performance in MWM, NOR, and FCT compared to the control group. Similarly, the examination of hippocampal neuron integrity showed no significant negative alterations in morphology, serum brain injury factors, mitochondrial content, or synaptic protein levels compared to controls.

Conclusion

Despite the study's findings, the increasing use of 5.8 GHz frequencies in wireless applications necessitates ongoing research into potential subtle long-term or cumulative effects on neurological health that this study could not address comprehensively.