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No effects of mobile phone use on cortical auditory change-detection in children: an ERP study.

Bioelectromagnetics · 2010 · No effect · Low evidence

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No effectLow evidencePaper 4415

In a single-blind on/off exposure setup with a GSM phone placed on the ear, short-term exposure (two 6 min blocks per side) produced no statistically significant effects on the neural change-detection profile measured with mismatch negativity (MMN) in 11–12-y…

Study snapshot

PublicationBioelectromagnetics · 2010
Study typerandomized_trial
Reported directionNo effect
Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

We investigated the effect of mobile phone use on the auditory sensory memory in children. Auditory event-related potentials (ERPs), P1, N2, mismatch negativity (MMN), and P3a, were recorded from 17 children, aged 11-12 years, in the recently developed multi-feature paradigm. This paradigm allows one to determine the neural change-detection profile consisting of several different types of acoustic changes. During the recording, an ordinary GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) mobile phone emitting 902 MHz (pulsed at 217 Hz) electromagnetic field (EMF) was placed on the ear, over the left or right temporal area (SAR(1g) = 1.14 W/kg, SAR(10g) = 0.82 W/kg, peak value = 1.21 W/kg). The EMF was either on or off in a single-blind manner. We found that a short exposure (two 6 min blocks for each side) to mobile phone EMF has no statistically significant effects on the neural change-detection profile measured with the MMN. Furthermore, the multi-feature paradigm was shown to be well suited for studies of perception accuracy and sensory memory in children. However, it should be noted that the present study only had sufficient statistical power to detect a large effect size.

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 directionno_effect
PopulationChildren aged 11–12 years
Sample size17
ExposureRF · 902 MHz · 1.14 W/kg · short exposure (two 6 min blocks for each side)
Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 78% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

In a single-blind on/off exposure setup with a GSM phone placed on the ear, short-term exposure (two 6 min blocks per side) produced no statistically significant effects on the neural change-detection profile measured with mismatch negativity (MMN) in 11–12-year-old children.

Outcomes measured

  • Auditory event-related potentials (ERPs): P1, N2, mismatch negativity (MMN), P3a
  • Auditory sensory memory / neural change-detection profile (MMN-based)

Limitations

  • Small sample size (n=17)
  • Only sufficient statistical power to detect a large effect size
  • Short exposure duration
View raw extracted JSON
{
  "study_type": "randomized_trial",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "RF",
    "source": "mobile phone",
    "frequency_mhz": 902,
    "sar_wkg": 1.14,
    "duration": "short exposure (two 6 min blocks for each side)"
  },
  "population": "Children aged 11–12 years",
  "sample_size": 17,
  "outcomes": [
    "Auditory event-related potentials (ERPs): P1, N2, mismatch negativity (MMN), P3a",
    "Auditory sensory memory / neural change-detection profile (MMN-based)"
  ],
  "main_findings": "In a single-blind on/off exposure setup with a GSM phone placed on the ear, short-term exposure (two 6 min blocks per side) produced no statistically significant effects on the neural change-detection profile measured with mismatch negativity (MMN) in 11–12-year-old children.",
  "effect_direction": "no_effect",
  "limitations": [
    "Small sample size (n=17)",
    "Only sufficient statistical power to detect a large effect size",
    "Short exposure duration"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "GSM",
    "mobile phone",
    "902 MHz",
    "217 Hz pulsed",
    "children",
    "ERP",
    "mismatch negativity",
    "MMN",
    "P3a",
    "auditory sensory memory",
    "single-blind",
    "SAR"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "who-icnirp",
      "weight": 0.25,
      "reason": "Human experimental study of RF exposure from a GSM mobile phone with SAR reported; relevant to RF health evidence base often summarized in WHO/ICNIRP contexts."
    }
  ]
}
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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: 10.1002/bem.20546
PubMed: 19771547

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