EMF Evidence Library
Research library/Brain & nervous system/RF-034
RF-034Original abstract verified

Separate Chinese programme with functional, morphological and molecular endpoints

Tang et al. · 2015 · Brain Research

The reported finding

Original abstract reports reduced water-maze platform crossing/target-quadrant time after 28-day exposure, cellular edema/organelle degeneration, altered BBB/albumin endpoints, increased mkp-1 and ERK dephosphorylation. Exact contrasts, n per assay and effect statistics remain unverified.

Reading it carefully

Original abstract verified but full methods and results inaccessible. Mechanistic measurements do not alone establish that mkp-1/ERK causally mediated injury. Distinct regimen from Salford, not direct replication.

Inside the study

Exposure conditions
900 MHz, 1 mW/cm²; 3 h/day for 14 or 28 days. Original abstract reports 0.016 W/kg whole-body and 2 W/kg local head SAR; preserve both, and do not present whole-body value as head dose.
Design & controls
108 male Sprague-Dawley rats, active/sham; Morris water maze, ultrastructure, Evans blue, immunostaining, Western blot. Full masking/exposure-temperature audit outstanding.
Related research & shared cohorts
Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing; distinct from Lund/Gazi programme. Separate animals and methods.
The protection question raised
Do the combined cognitive, tissue and barrier findings hold up in the original methods and independent experiments? Abstract-only verification and distinct whole-body and head doses limit their use in protection assessment.
Source verification
Scite bibliographic record; original PubMed abstract; ARPANSA government primary-citation summary used only to locate original
Where to find the result
PMID 25598203 abstract; original pages 92-101 require retrieval
Editorial notices
Scite metadata checked 20 Oct 2026; no editorial notice returned. Primary bibliographic records and targeted notices were checked where retrievable; no retraction or expression of concern located. This is not certification that no notice exists.
Funding
Not established from retrieved abstract.
Conflicts of interest
Not established from retrieved abstract.

Reviews to read alongside

Related syntheses and proposals in the separate review collection. These are topical reading links, not additional independent experiments.

Original publication

Tang J, Zhang Y, Yang L, Chen Q, Tan L, Zuo S, Feng H, Chen Z, Zhu G. Exposure to 900 MHz electromagnetic fields activates the mkp-1/ERK pathway and causes blood-brain barrier damage and cognitive impairment in rats. Brain Res. 2015;1601:92-101. doi:10.1016/j.brainres.2015.01.019.

Plain-text record