WEB-055Original text reviewed
3.5 GHz: reversible suppression of neuronal firing at high SAR
The reported finding
At 28 W/kg, bursting/firing rates fell roughly 35–43% during exposure and recovered afterwards. No conclusive effect at 1/3 W/kg. Direct heating also inhibited activity.
Reading it carefully
High-SAR effect, with thermal contributions unresolved. Reversible cultured-neuron inhibition is not neuronal death or demonstrated harm from ordinary 5G use.
Inside the study
Technology connection
Relevant carrier-frequency research; the record distinguishes actual 5G modulation from other laboratory waveforms.
Publication type
Original journal research
Exposure conditions
3.5 GHz continuous wave or actual 5G NR-modulated signal; 15 min at SAR 1, 3 or 28 W/kg; temperature rise below 1°C at the highest level.
Design & controls
Primary cortical-neuron networks; multi-electrode recordings, sham controls, direct heating and 1.8 GHz comparisons.
Statistics
See the original results; effect sizes were not independently recalculated.
Related research & shared cohorts
Bordeaux/Limoges programme; 2025 co-exposure follow-up DOI 10.1002/bem.70026 found no marked network effect at 1/4 W/kg.
The protection question raised
Which exposure conditions reproduce this finding, and what would establish its relevance beyond the experimental model?
Source verification
Original methods/results and interpretation reviewed; raw data and supplements were not independently audited.
Where to find the result
Original methods and results
Editorial notices
Linked Europe PMC/PubMed notice fields checked 21 October 2026; no correction/retraction surfaced for this record. Publisher/citation screening is not exhaustive.
Funding
See original disclosure; funding details were not established in this check.
Conflicts of interest
A disclosure statement is present in the original article; consult it for the declared relationships.
Original publication
Anne Canovi; Rosa Orlacchio; Florence Poulletier de Gannes; Philippe Lévêque; Delia Arnaud-Cormos; Isabelle Lagroye; André Garenne; Yann Percherancier; Noëlle Lewis. In vitro exposure of neuronal networks to the 5G-3.5 GHz signal. Frontiers in public health. 2023. doi:10.3389/fpubh.2023.1231360.