Does whole body exposure to GSM-950 MHz electromagnetic fields affect acquisition and consolidation of spatial information in rats?

This study was planned to examine the effects of whole-body exposure to gsm-950 mhz electromagnetic fields (emfs) on acquisition and consolidation of spatial memory in rats using a water maze task. materials and methods: in experiment 1, the animals were given two blocks of five trials per day for three consecutive days in a water maze task. the interval between blocks was 4h. before each training session, the animals were exposed to 950 mhz emfs for 45 min with lower- (0.835 mw/cm2) or higher-power (1.166 mw/cm2) densities. in experiment 2, the animals were given two blocks of 5 trials with a 3 min interval between blocks. immediately after the last trial, they were exposed to emfs for 45 min with lower- or higher-power densities. in both experiments, 48 h after the last training day a 60 s probe test was done. results: results from experiment1 (pre-training exposure to emfs) indicated no significant differences in performances of exposed and non-exposed groups either during acquisition (learning) or during probe test (memory retention). results from experiment 2 (posttraining exposure to emfs) also indicated no significant differences among groups during acquisition or probe test. conclusion: in these experiments, no effect of exposure to 950 mhz on acquisition or consolidation of spatial navigation of rats in a water maze was detected