Effect of nonionizing radiation on the Purkinje cells of the uvula in squirrel monkey cerebellum.

Pregnant squirrel monkeys were exposed to 2450-MHz (CW) microwaves at an equivalent power density of 10 mW/cm2 (SAR 3.4 mW/g) for three hours daily in a cavity-cage module. The exposure began when pregnancy was determined by a hormonal method, and continued through of offspring's first 9.5 months. After irradiation, the brain of the offspring were fixed with formaldehyde, and the inferior vermis of each cerebella was removed and processed for histologic observations. Purkinje cell density in the uvula was determined in sagittal serial section. There was no significant difference between control and experimental animals in the number of Purkinje cells per mm of Purkinje cell line (linear density), as well as in the density of Purkinje cells in the Purkinje cell layer.