Some Effects of Electromagnetic Radiation on the Brain and Spinal Cord of Cats.

摘要

The behavior of the spinal cord exposed to high-level microwaves indicates that this central nervous system structure is, indeed, subject to functional alteration by impinging radiation. It is doubtful, however, that these effects are present unless the tissues involved are subjected to elevation of their internal temperatures. The effects of microwave radiation on the cord are not unique; they are, in fact, the same as the effects of nonradiation heating. That the time course over which these effects appear differs from the radiation heating and nonradiation heating cases merely reflects the difference in the time course of temperature elevation with the methods at hand. If the tissues are appropriately cooled during microwave illumination, the effects are ameliorated or even reversed. Irradiation of the abnormally cold spinal cord with microwaves changes its activity toward normalcy. The results indicate that a given level of microwave power acts upon the spinal cord only to elevate the temperature of the tissue. These findings, together with those previously obtained with evoked thalamic potentials and isolated peripheral nerves, support the view that microwave effects on nervous system mechanisms are thermal in nature. (Author)