EFFECTS OF DOXAPRAM ON BODY TEMPERATURE OF THE RAT DURING RADIOFREQUENCY IRRADIATION

Abstract
Central nervous system stimulants can cause changes in body temperature and changes in susceptibility to high levels of radiofrequency radiation (RFR). In the present study, the effects of the central nervous system stimulant, doxapram, on thermal responses to 2.8 GHz pulsed RFR were examined in anaesthetized rats. During intermittent exposure to an average power density of 60 mW/cm2, doxapram significantly increased the time required for temperature to return to the pre-exposure level when irradiation was discontinued. When exposure was continued until lethal temperatures resulted, doxapram administration caused no significant change in survival time when compared to saline controls. Thus, although the drug decreased thermoregulatory efficiency during intermittent exposure to RFR, no change in susceptibility to terminal RFR exposure was observed.