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Description
Mobile phones communicate using radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) which may have potential impact on brain function. Alterations to glutamatergic and GABAergic neurotransmission have been reported, however the acute effect of a single RF-EMF exposure on this neurotransmission has not been assessed in unrestrained animals. This study aimed to investigate the effects of acute exposure to RF-EMF on mRNA expression of NMDA and GABAA receptor subunits in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and hippocampus of male and female mice. Free-moving mice were exposed to 1950 MHz RF-EMF at a WBA-SAR of 0 (sham) or 5 W/kg for 2 hours within reverberation chambers. The PFC and hippocampus of each mouse were collected, and RT-qPCR analysis was conducted to determine mRNA expression of target genes. Results showed that RF-EMF exposure did not result in significant differences in mRNA expression of most target genes in either brain region, whereas a statistically significant increase in Grin2a mRNA expression in the PFC of female mice was observed (compared to sham). Although standard adjustment for multiple comparisons was employed (i.e. comparison-wise), our confidence in the Grin1a results is greatly weakened by the number of dependent variables that were assessed (i.e. 6). Our findings do not provide strong evidence that acute exposure to RF-EMF alters mRNA expression of NMDA or GABAA receptor subunits in mice. However, the possible presence of such an effect cannot be dismissed and further research is required to fully understand the nature of the potential relationship between neurotransmission and RF-EMF exposure.
