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Does acute RF EMF exposure affect visual event-related potentials in healthy adults?

2018 · Mixed · Moderate evidence

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MixedModerate evidencePaper 2118

During RF-EMF exposure (1 and 2 W/kg) compared with sham (0 W/kg), P1 amplitude was reduced (p=.02) and anterior N1 latency was increased (p=.04). No effects were observed on other ERP latencies or amplitudes; authors note only 2 of 56 comparisons differed an…

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2018
Study typerandomized_trial
Reported directionMixed
Evidence ratingModerate

Abstract

Does acute RF EMF exposure affect visual event-related potentials in healthy adults? Dalecki A, Loughran SP, Verrender A, Burdon CA, Taylor NAS, Croft RJ. Does acute radio-frequency electromagnetic field exposure affect visual event-related potentials in healthy adults? Clinical Neurophysiology. 129(5):901-908. May 2018. Abstract Objective To use improved methods to address the question of whether acute exposure to radio-frequency (RF) electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) affects early (80-200 ms) sensory and later (180-600 ms) cognitive processes as indexed by event-related potentials (ERPs). Methods Thirty-six healthy subjects completed a visual discrimination task during concurrent exposure to a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM)-like, 920 MHz signal with peak-spatial specific absorption rate for 10 g of tissue of 0 W/kg of body mass (Sham), 1 W/kg (Low RF) and 2 W/kg (High RF). A fully randomised, counterbalanced, double-blind design was used. Results P1 amplitude was reduced (p = .02) and anterior N1 latency was increased (p = .04) during Exposure compared to Sham. There were no effects on any other ERP latencies or amplitudes. Conclusions RF-EMF exposure may affect early perceptual (P1) and preparatory motor (anterior N1) processes. However, only two ERP indices, out of 56 comparisons, were observed to differ between RF-EMF exposure and Sham, suggesting that these observations may be due to chance. Excerpts It should be noted that the RF-EMF exposure in the present study was a simulated GSM signal, delivered via planar antenna (Murbach et al., 2012). This planar antenna delivers a relatively homogenous SAR distribution to brain structures in the exposed hemisphere (Murbach et al., 2012) We note that, in contrast to the homogenous SAR distribution produced by the planar antenna used in the present study, exposures from individual mobile phones are far more localised, such that SARs in brain regions more distant from the mobile phone are markedly smaller than those more proximal to the phone (Boutry et al., 2008; Loughran et al., 2008). Therefore, given the lack of effects on central nervous system function under conditions where the maximal SAR is delivered to the entire hemisphere, it is unlikely that a markedly smaller, localised SAR exposure, such as that which might be present during mobile phone use, would affect the processes assessed in the present study. This study was funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia [Grant 1042464] and the Electric Power Research Institute [Grant 00-10003301]. Conflict of interest statement: None. sciencedirect.com

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 adults
Sample size36
ExposureRF · 920 MHz · 2 W/kg · acute (during task; duration not specified)
Evidence strengthModerateConfidence: 78% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

During RF-EMF exposure (1 and 2 W/kg) compared with sham (0 W/kg), P1 amplitude was reduced (p=.02) and anterior N1 latency was increased (p=.04). No effects were observed on other ERP latencies or amplitudes; authors note only 2 of 56 comparisons differed and may be due to chance.

Outcomes measured

  • Visual event-related potentials (ERPs): early sensory processes (80–200 ms) and later cognitive processes (180–600 ms)
  • P1 amplitude
  • Anterior N1 latency
  • Other ERP latencies and amplitudes (not specified)

Limitations

  • Only 2 of 56 ERP comparisons differed between exposure and sham, raising possibility of chance findings
  • Exposure duration not reported in abstract
  • Simulated GSM exposure via planar antenna may not reflect localized exposure patterns from typical mobile phone use
View raw extracted JSON
{
  "study_type": "randomized_trial",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "RF",
    "source": "simulated GSM (planar antenna)",
    "frequency_mhz": 920,
    "sar_wkg": 2,
    "duration": "acute (during task; duration not specified)"
  },
  "population": "Healthy adults",
  "sample_size": 36,
  "outcomes": [
    "Visual event-related potentials (ERPs): early sensory processes (80–200 ms) and later cognitive processes (180–600 ms)",
    "P1 amplitude",
    "Anterior N1 latency",
    "Other ERP latencies and amplitudes (not specified)"
  ],
  "main_findings": "During RF-EMF exposure (1 and 2 W/kg) compared with sham (0 W/kg), P1 amplitude was reduced (p=.02) and anterior N1 latency was increased (p=.04). No effects were observed on other ERP latencies or amplitudes; authors note only 2 of 56 comparisons differed and may be due to chance.",
  "effect_direction": "mixed",
  "limitations": [
    "Only 2 of 56 ERP comparisons differed between exposure and sham, raising possibility of chance findings",
    "Exposure duration not reported in abstract",
    "Simulated GSM exposure via planar antenna may not reflect localized exposure patterns from typical mobile phone use"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "moderate",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "RF-EMF",
    "GSM-like",
    "920 MHz",
    "specific absorption rate",
    "SAR",
    "event-related potentials",
    "ERP",
    "visual discrimination task",
    "double-blind",
    "counterbalanced",
    "healthy subjects"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "who-icnirp",
      "weight": 0.2,
      "reason": "Human experimental RF exposure study relevant to RF health evidence base (no explicit policy content stated)."
    }
  ]
}
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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: Not supplied
PubMed: Not supplied

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