Neurodegenerative Technology: Impacts of Cell Phone Radiation on C. Elegans’ Memory

Overview

The purpose of this experiment was to investigate cell phone radiation as a plausible cause of memory loss and neurodegenerative diseases, and to investigate the optimal distance at which a cell phone can be held to minimize the effects. The radiation from cell phones has been shown to affect miR-106b-5p and miR-107 genes involved with cell death in the temporal lobe. These human genes have a homolog in C. elegans, which is why C. elegans were selected as the model organism. It was hypothesized that if the distance between the radiation source and C. elegans decreases, then more C. elegans will forget the avoidance training they received. To test the associative memory of C. elegans, they were trained to negatively associate butanone (in methanol) with starvation. Then, the C. elegans were exposed to 20 hours of cell phone radiation at varying distances; 0 cm, 8 cm, 16 cm, 24 cm, and 30 cm. Additionally, a control group of C. elegans was not exposed to electromagnetic radiation. Next, the C. elegans were tested to see if they remembered their training by avoiding the butanone spot, or if they forgot and went towards the butanone. The radiation and testing process was repeated for a total of three days per trial. A total of 10 trials were conducted, each containing 10 petri dishes of C. elegans at every distance from the radiation source. With each petri dish containing approximately 200-300 C. elegans, approximately 150,000 C. elegans were tested upon. When comparing the distances to each other, all were found to be statistically significant from the other testing distance, except between 0 cm and 8 cm, and between 24 cm and 30 cm. The hypothesis was refuted because more C. elegans forgot their training when the radiation source was further away. Additionally, the most severe effects were observed at a distance of 24 cm from the radiation source. However, all distances from the radiation source were found to be statistically significant from the control group, which received no exposure to cell phone radiation. Overall, this study suggests that cell phone radiation could potentially be a factor in memory loss and neurodegenerative diseases.

Competition history

• AJAS 2020 Category not listed

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