Effect of high SARs produced by cell phone like radiofrequency fields on mollusk single neuron

Abstract

During exposure to the cell phone electromagnetic field (EMF), some neurons in the brain at areas of peak specific absorption rate (SAR) absorb more electromagnetic energy than is permitted by existing guidelines. The goal of the present work was to investigate the influence of cell phone-like EMF signal on excitability and memory processes in single neurons. A Transverse Electromagnetic Cell (TEM Cell) was used to expose single neurons of mollusk to the EMF.

Finite-Difference Time-Domain (FDTD) method was used for modeling the TEM Cell and the EMF interactions with living nerve ganglion and neurons. Neuron electrophysiology was investigated using standard microelectrode technique. SAR deposited into the single neuron was calculated to be 8.2 W/kg with a temperature increment of 1.21°C. After acute exposure, the threshold of firing of action potentials (AP) was significantly decreased (p ≈ 0.001). Time of habituation to stimulation with the intracellular current injection was increased (p ≈ 0.003). These results indicate that acute exposure to EMF at high SARs impairs the ability of neurons to store information.

Keywords::

• Electromagnetic field
• Mollusk neuron
• Action potential
• Habituation

Acknowledgements

The work was supported by a grant from the Rustaveli National Science Foundation. The authors are grateful to Dr. Henry Lai for his help in the writing of this article and his valuable comments and advice.

Declaration of interest The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.