Inter-individual and intra-individual variation of the effects of pulsed RF EMF exposure on the human sleep EEG.

Bioelectromagnetics · 2015 · Mixed · Low evidence

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MixedLow evidencePaper 4796

Study snapshot

PublicationBioelectromagnetics · 2015

Study typerandomized_trial

Reported directionMixed

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Pulse-modulated radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF EMF) can alter brain activity during sleep; increases of electroencephalographic (EEG) power in the sleep spindle (13.75-15.25 Hz) and delta-theta (1.25-9 Hz) frequency range have been reported. These field effects show striking inter-individual differences. However, it is still unknown whether individual subjects react in a similar way when repeatedly exposed. Thus, our study aimed to investigate inter-individual variation and intra-individual stability of field effects. To do so, we exposed 20 young male subjects twice for 30 min prior to sleep to the same amplitude modulated 900 MHz (2 Hz pulse, 20 Hz Gaussian low-pass filter and a ratio of peak-to-average of 4) RF EMF (spatial peak absorption of 2 W/kg averaged over 10 g) 2 weeks apart. The topographical analysis of EEG power during all-night non-rapid eye movement sleep revealed: (1) exposure-related increases in delta-theta frequency range in several fronto-central electrodes; and (2) no differences in spindle frequency range. We did not observe reproducible within-subject RF EMF effects on sleep spindle and delta-theta activity in the sleep EEG and it remains unclear whether a biological trait of how the subjects' brains react to RF EMF exists.

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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

Population20 young male subjects

Sample size20

ExposureRF · 900 MHz · 2 W/kg · 30 min prior to sleep; repeated twice 2 weeks apart

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 78% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Topographical analysis during all-night NREM sleep showed exposure-related increases in delta-theta (1.25–9 Hz) power at several fronto-central electrodes and no differences in the spindle frequency range. Within-subject effects on spindle and delta-theta activity were not reproducible across the two exposure sessions, and it remained unclear whether a stable biological trait of response exists.

Outcomes measured

Sleep EEG power during all-night non-rapid eye movement sleep
Delta-theta (1.25–9 Hz) EEG power
Sleep spindle (13.75–15.25 Hz) EEG power
Topographical (electrode-wise) EEG power changes

Limitations

Only young male subjects were studied
Small sample size (n=20)
Within-subject reproducibility of effects was not observed across two sessions

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "randomized_trial",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "RF",
    "source": null,
    "frequency_mhz": 900,
    "sar_wkg": 2,
    "duration": "30 min prior to sleep; repeated twice 2 weeks apart"
  },
  "population": "20 young male subjects",
  "sample_size": 20,
  "outcomes": [
    "Sleep EEG power during all-night non-rapid eye movement sleep",
    "Delta-theta (1.25–9 Hz) EEG power",
    "Sleep spindle (13.75–15.25 Hz) EEG power",
    "Topographical (electrode-wise) EEG power changes"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Topographical analysis during all-night NREM sleep showed exposure-related increases in delta-theta (1.25–9 Hz) power at several fronto-central electrodes and no differences in the spindle frequency range. Within-subject effects on spindle and delta-theta activity were not reproducible across the two exposure sessions, and it remained unclear whether a stable biological trait of response exists.",
  "effect_direction": "mixed",
  "limitations": [
    "Only young male subjects were studied",
    "Small sample size (n=20)",
    "Within-subject reproducibility of effects was not observed across two sessions"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "radiofrequency electromagnetic fields",
    "RF EMF",
    "pulse-modulated",
    "amplitude modulated",
    "900 MHz",
    "sleep",
    "EEG",
    "non-rapid eye movement sleep",
    "sleep spindle",
    "delta-theta",
    "inter-individual variation",
    "intra-individual stability",
    "SAR 2 W/kg"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": []
}

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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.21893
PubMed: 25690404

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