Short-term 2.1 GHz radiofrequency radiation treatment induces significant changes on the auditory evoked potentials in adult rats

AbstractPurpose: There is a growing interest in the usage of radiofrequency radiation (RF) as a noninvasive brain stimulation method. Previously reported data demonstrated that RF exposure caused a change in brain oscillations. Therefore, we aimed to investigate effects of RF on brain oscillation by measuring the auditory response of different brain regions in rats.Materials and methods: Rats were randomly divided into three groups (n = 12 per each group): Cage control (C), sham rats (Sh), and rats exposed to 2.1 GHz RF for 2 h/day for 7 days. At the end of the exposure, auditory evoked potentials (AEPs) were recorded at different locations in rats. Latencies and amplitudes of AEPs, evoked power, inter-trial phase synchronization, and auditory evoked gamma responses were obtained in response to an auditory stimulus. Furthermore, TBARS levels and 4-HNE, GFAP, iNOS, and nNOS expressions were evaluated in all groups.Results: Peak-to-peak amplitudes of AEPs were significantly higher in the RF group compared w...