WEB-014Original text reviewed
Gene expression and transcription-factor binding after 100 GHz exposure
The reported finding
111 genes increased and 54 decreased in expression; AP-1 binding to its DNA probe fell.
Reading it carefully
Three RNA-sequencing samples per condition; exploratory molecular findings and limited temperature resolution. No demonstrated neuronal injury or future-6G signal exposure.
Inside the study
Technology connection
Sub-terahertz research relevant to examining proposed future bands; not an experiment using a 6G standard.
Publication type
Original journal research
Exposure conditions
0.1 THz (100 GHz); 33 mW/cm²; 20 min; primary neurons subsequently cultured for 2 h. No significant bulk-medium temperature difference detected.
Design & controls
Primary rat hippocampal neurons; RNA sequencing, selected qPCR and AP-1 DNA-binding assay; sham comparison.
Statistics
See reported finding and original tables; effect sizes not independently recalculated.
Related research & shared cohorts
The protection question raised
Which exposure conditions and biological models reproduce this response, and what would establish its relevance to health?
Source verification
Original methods/results sections reviewed; no independent raw-data or supplement audit.
Where to find the result
Original results/methods sections
Editorial notices
Linked notice fields in retrieved Europe PMC/PubMed records checked 21 October 2026; no correction or retraction surfaced there. Publisher-history and forward-citation screening are not exhaustive.
Funding
Not established from retrieved original abstract.
Conflicts of interest
Not established from retrieved original abstract.
Original publication
Sen Shang; XingJuan Wu; Qi Zhang; Jiping Zhao; Erling Hu; Leilei Wang; Xiaoyun Lu. 0.1 THz exposure affects primary hippocampus neuron gene expression via alternating transcription factor binding. Biomedical optics express. 2021. doi:10.1364/boe.426928.