Effects of pulsed and continuous wave 902 MHz mobile phone exposure on brain oscillatory activity during cognitive processing.

Bioelectromagnetics · 2007 · Mixed · Low evidence

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MixedLow evidencePaper 5080

Across six exposure conditions (sham, continuous wave, pulse modulated; left- and right-side exposure), EMF exposure had modest effects on EEG brain oscillatory responses in the alpha range (~8–12 Hz) and no effects on behavioural measures. EEG effects were d…

Study snapshot

PublicationBioelectromagnetics · 2007

Study typerandomized_trial

Reported directionMixed

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

The aim of the current double-blind studies was to partially replicate the studies by Krause et al. [2000ab, 2004] and to further investigate the possible effects of electromagnetic fields (EMF) emitted by mobile phones (MP) on the event-related desynchronisation/synchronisation (ERD/ERS) EEG (electroencephalogram) responses during cognitive processing. Two groups, both consisting of 36 male participants, were recruited. One group performed an auditory memory task and the other performed a visual working memory task in six exposure conditions: SHAM (no EMF), CW (continuous wave EMF) and PM (pulse modulated EMF) during both left- and right-side exposure, while the EEG was recorded. In line with our previous studies, we observed that the exposure to EMF had modest effects on brain oscillatory responses in the alpha frequency range ( approximately 8-12 Hz) and had no effects on the behavioural measures. The effects on the EEG were, however, varying, unsystematic and inconsistent with previous reports. We conclude that the effects of EMF on brain oscillatory responses may be subtle, variable and difficult to replicate for unknown reasons.

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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

PopulationMale participants (two groups) performing auditory memory or visual working memory tasks

Sample size72

ExposureRF · 902 MHz

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 78% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Outcomes measured

EEG event-related desynchronisation/synchronisation (ERD/ERS) during cognitive processing
Brain oscillatory responses in alpha frequency range (~8–12 Hz)
Behavioural measures during auditory memory task
Behavioural measures during visual working memory task

Limitations

EEG effects described as varying, unsystematic, and inconsistent with previous reports (difficult to replicate)
Only male participants were included

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "randomized_trial",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "RF",
    "source": "mobile phone",
    "frequency_mhz": 902,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": null
  },
  "population": "Male participants (two groups) performing auditory memory or visual working memory tasks",
  "sample_size": 72,
  "outcomes": [
    "EEG event-related desynchronisation/synchronisation (ERD/ERS) during cognitive processing",
    "Brain oscillatory responses in alpha frequency range (~8–12 Hz)",
    "Behavioural measures during auditory memory task",
    "Behavioural measures during visual working memory task"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Across six exposure conditions (sham, continuous wave, pulse modulated; left- and right-side exposure), EMF exposure had modest effects on EEG brain oscillatory responses in the alpha range (~8–12 Hz) and no effects on behavioural measures. EEG effects were described as varying, unsystematic, and inconsistent with previous reports.",
  "effect_direction": "mixed",
  "limitations": [
    "EEG effects described as varying, unsystematic, and inconsistent with previous reports (difficult to replicate)",
    "Only male participants were included"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "902 MHz",
    "mobile phone",
    "RF EMF",
    "continuous wave",
    "pulse modulated",
    "EEG",
    "ERD/ERS",
    "alpha band",
    "auditory memory",
    "visual working memory",
    "double-blind",
    "sham exposure"
  ],
  "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.20300
PubMed: 17203478

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