The same technology that may power the next generation of mobile networks has been shown to increase the growth of brain cells in mice, according to a new study from Xian Jiaotong University in Beijing.
Radio waves in the terahertz frequency can transmit data at speeds up to 1 terabit (or 125 gigabytes) per second, it is a prime candidate for the next generation of mobile cell phone networks if it can be proven safe. By contrast, current 5G networks use millimeter waves that top out at 20 gigabits (2.5 gigabytes) per second.
But there may be another use for terahertz radio waves: treatment of neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s disease, autism, and Parkinson’s disease.
The researchers exposed mice neurons in a petri dish to 100-microwatt pulse radiation, ranging from 0.3 terahertz to 3 terahertz. The result was that the exposed neurons grew at a rate of 150% compared to the control group. The length of connections also doubled in three days. Despite the accelerated growth, the brain cells appeared healthy.
The accelerated brain growth was not permanent; it slowed two days after exposure.
However, a 2009 study by the Russian Academy of Sciences showed that prolonged exposure to strong terahertz radiation had an adverse effect, increasing the temperature of brain cells, disturbing their development and causing dehydration of the cells which reduces their size and causes other damage.
But Li Xiaoli, the lead scientist of the new Beijing study, thinks that the negative effects of terahertz radiation could be avoided by limiting the strength and duration of exposure.
“The safety of terahertz radiation protocol is a top concern,” Li said. And while the health concerns of terahertz radiation remain, it could, Li believes, be used to treat neurological disorders.
“Abnormal neuron development and the resulting abnormal neural network structure can lead to the occurrence of various psychiatric and neurological diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, autism and Parkinson’s disease,” the study’s authors said.
The authors believe that a lower dose of terahertz radiation could increase the production and the activity of certain proteins responsible for brain cell growth, namely GluA1, GluN1, and SY-38. The researchers theorize that is because they contain hydrogen bonds that constantly vibrate at a frequency that falls in the terahertz range. The radio waves combine with the proteins and cause them to resonate in a “non-linear manner,” according to Li, which could “affect the shape of the proteins, and therefore the structure and function of neurons.”
However, because proteins vary significantly from each other, only certain proteins are affected by the terahertz radiation at low frequencies. Li says more investigation is needed to learn how proteins react to different exposure intensities.
However, because proteins vary significantly from each other, only certain proteins are affected by the terahertz radiation at low frequencies. Li says more investigation is needed to learn how proteins react to different exposure intensities.
The study backs up another done at the Institute of Brain Science at Xian Jiaotong University that was published in June. That study found that terahertz exposure could make young mice more intelligent. There, scientists exposed mice to 90-milliwatt terahertz radiation for 20 minutes a day for three weeks. They observed that the exposed mice had more brain cells and were quicker at escaping mazes. However, for reasons that remain unclear, the same effect was not observed in older mice.