RF Safe

Short-term RF exposure from new generation mobile phones reduces EEG alpha power with no effects on cognitive performance

2018 · Mixed · Moderate evidence

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MixedModerate evidencePaper 1883

In a double-blind Real vs Sham design (separate sessions), both UMTS and LTE RF exposures were associated with a decrease in scalp EEG alpha power that persisted after exposure cessation. No effects were found on Stroop test performance.

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2018
Study typerandomized_trial
Reported directionMixed
Evidence ratingModerate

Abstract

Short-term RF exposure from new generation mobile phones reduces EEG alpha power with no effects on cognitive performance Vecsei Z, Knakker B, Juhász P, Thuróczy G, Trunk A, Hernádi I. Short-term radiofrequency exposure from new generation mobile phones reduces EEG alpha power with no effects on cognitive performance. Sci Rep. 2018 Dec 20;8(1):18010. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-36353-9. Abstract Although mobile phone (MP) use has been steadily increasing in the last decades and similar positive trends are expected for the near future, systematic investigations on neurophysiological and cognitive effects caused by recently developed technological standards for MPs are scarcely available. Here, we investigated the effects of radiofrequency (RF) fields emitted by new-generation mobile technologies, specifically, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) and Long-Term Evolution (LTE), on intrinsic scalp EEG activity in the alpha band (8-12 Hz) and cognitive performance in the Stroop test. The study involved 60 healthy, young-adult university students (34 for UMTS and 26 for LTE) with double-blind administration of Real and Sham exposure in separate sessions. EEG was recorded before, during and after RF exposure, and Stroop performance was assessed before and after EEG recording. Both RF exposure types caused a notable decrease in the alpha power over the whole scalp that persisted even after the cessation of the exposure, whereas no effects were found on any aspects of performance in the Stroop test. The results imply that the brain networks underlying global alpha oscillations might require minor reconfiguration to adapt to the local biophysical changes caused by focal RF exposure mimicking MP use. Open access paper: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Machine Enhanced Logic

AI evidence extraction

Structured fields below were generated from the paper’s abstract and metadata to make the evidence easier to inspect. Automated extraction may be incomplete or incorrect; verify important details against the original paper.

Study typerandomized_trial
Effect directionmixed
PopulationHealthy, young-adult university students
Sample size60
ExposureRF · short-term
Evidence strengthModerateConfidence: 74% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

In a double-blind Real vs Sham design (separate sessions), both UMTS and LTE RF exposures were associated with a decrease in scalp EEG alpha power that persisted after exposure cessation. No effects were found on Stroop test performance.

Outcomes measured

  • EEG alpha band power (8–12 Hz)
  • Cognitive performance (Stroop test)

Limitations

  • Frequency and SAR not reported in the provided abstract
  • Exposure duration not specified beyond 'short-term'
  • Details of randomization/counterbalancing and session order not described in the provided abstract
View raw extracted JSON
{
  "study_type": "randomized_trial",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "RF",
    "source": "mobile phone",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "short-term"
  },
  "population": "Healthy, young-adult university students",
  "sample_size": 60,
  "outcomes": [
    "EEG alpha band power (8–12 Hz)",
    "Cognitive performance (Stroop test)"
  ],
  "main_findings": "In a double-blind Real vs Sham design (separate sessions), both UMTS and LTE RF exposures were associated with a decrease in scalp EEG alpha power that persisted after exposure cessation. No effects were found on Stroop test performance.",
  "effect_direction": "mixed",
  "limitations": [
    "Frequency and SAR not reported in the provided abstract",
    "Exposure duration not specified beyond 'short-term'",
    "Details of randomization/counterbalancing and session order not described in the provided abstract"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "moderate",
  "confidence": 0.74,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "radiofrequency",
    "mobile phone",
    "UMTS",
    "LTE",
    "EEG",
    "alpha power",
    "Stroop test",
    "double-blind",
    "sham exposure"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "mobile-phones-rf",
      "weight": 0.9,
      "reason": "Study tests RF exposure mimicking mobile phone use (UMTS/LTE) and measures EEG/cognition."
    }
  ]
}
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AI-extracted fields are generated from the abstract and metadata and may be incomplete or incorrect. This material is for informational purposes and is not medical advice.

Identifiers and source

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-36353-9
PubMed: Not supplied

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