Neuromorphological Effects of Acute and Chronic Electromagnetic Radiation

Morphological changes in the cerebral cortex have been studied in model experiments on three types of laboratory animals (mice, rats, and dogs) exposed to both acute and chronic electromagnetic radiation. It has been established that neurons are highly reactive and, at the same time, characterized by plasticity to the electromagnetic factor. Changes in neurons are more significant after general irradiation than after partial irradiation. The greatest response has been found from the structures of the protein-synthesizing system of neurons, as well as their interneuronal contacts. After 3 days of the recovery period, changes were recorded only at the ultrastructural level in the form of residues, decayed organelles, clusters of lysosomes, and local foci of brain edema. During chronic microwave impact with exposure at the “zero effect” level, the sensitivity of neurons to electromagnetic radiation was characterized by species differences and was inversely dependent on the animal body weight: mice were most sensitive, the structures of the rat nervous system were more resistant, and the nervous structures of dogs were least sensitive.