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AN EXPERIMENTAL SET-UP FOR MEASUREMENT OF THE POWER ABSORBED FROM 900 MHZ GSM STANDING WAVES BY SMALL ANIMALS, ILLUSTRATED BY APPLICATION TO PICROTOXIN-TREATED RATS

2008; Volume: 87; Linguagem: Inglês

10.2528/pier08101307

1559-8985

María Elena López-Martín, Julio Brégains, F.J. Jorge-Barreiro, J. L. Sebastián-Franco, E. Moreno-Piquero, F. Ares‐Pena,

Ultrasound and Hyperthermia Applications

We describe an experimental set-up for exposure of small animals to radiofrequency standing waves that allows direct measurement of the power absorbed by the animal. Essentially, the setup consists of a metallic box containing an antenna and experimental animal immobilized in a methacrylate holder; a signal generator feeding the antenna; and a power meter. In addition, the box can also contain a video camera to record the animal's behaviour, and a receiving antenna (connected externally to a power meter and a spectrum analyser) to detect undesired (external) radiation and possible harmonics of the radiating system. The absorbed power measurement trivially allows calculation of whole-body mean SAR from the animal's weight; and assuming local SARs to be proportional to whole-body mean SAR, the latter can be used to adjust organ-specific SAR predictions obtained by simulation using a commercial FDTD program with a numerical phantom. The use of the system is illustrated by application to rats given subconvulsive doses of picrotoxin to induce a seizure-prone state analogous to epilepsy: levels of the neuronal activity marker c-Fos in the frontal and piriform cortex of picrotoxin-treated rats exposed to 900 MHz GSM radiation were twice as high as those of unexposed animals.