Memory performance, wireless communication and exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields: A prospective cohort study in adolescents
Schoeni A, Roser K, Röösli M · 2015
View Original AbstractAdolescents with higher cell phone radiation exposure showed measurably worse visual memory performance over one year of study.
Plain English Summary
Swiss researchers followed 439 adolescents for one year to see if cell phone radiation affects memory. They found that teens with higher exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields from mobile phones showed measurably worse performance on figural memory tests (the ability to remember visual patterns and shapes). The effect was stronger when researchers calculated actual radiation dose to the brain rather than just looking at call time.
Why This Matters
This prospective study adds important evidence to concerns about wireless radiation's impact on developing brains. What makes this research particularly significant is its longitudinal design - following the same teenagers over time rather than just taking a snapshot. The researchers found dose-dependent effects, meaning higher exposure correlated with greater memory decline. The fact that texting and gaming (which produce minimal radiation) showed no effect while voice calls (high radiation) did suggests the radiofrequency emissions themselves, not just device use, may be the culprit. For parents, this study reinforces the wisdom of encouraging text messaging over voice calls and using speaker phone or earbuds to keep devices away from developing brains.
Exposure Information
Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study.
Study Details
The aim of this study is to investigate whether memory performance in adolescents is affected by radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) from wireless device use or by the wireless device use itself due to non-radiation related factors in that context.
We conducted a prospective cohort study with 439 adolescents. Verbal and figural memory tasks at bas...
The kappa coefficients between cumulative mobile phone call duration and RF-EMF brain and whole body...
A change in memory performance over one year was negatively associated with cumulative duration of wireless phone use and more strongly with RF-EMF dose. This may indicate that RF-EMF exposure affects memory performance.
Show BibTeX
@article{a_2015_memory_performance_wireless_communication_1530,
author = {Schoeni A and Roser K and Röösli M},
title = {Memory performance, wireless communication and exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields: A prospective cohort study in adolescents},
year = {2015},
url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412015300659},
}