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Brain & Nervous System164 citations

Effects of microwaves emitted by cellular phones on human slow brain potentials.

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Freude, G, Ullsperger, P, Eggert ,S, Ruppe, I · 1998

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Cell phone radiation altered brain electrical patterns during complex mental tasks, suggesting EMF interferes with cognitive processing even when performance appears normal.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

German researchers studied how cell phone radiation affects brain wave patterns by having men perform simple finger movements and complex visual tasks while exposed to phone emissions. They found that radiation significantly altered slow brain potentials (electrical patterns that prepare the brain for action) during the demanding cognitive task, but not during simple movements. This suggests cell phone radiation can interfere with brain electrical activity during mentally challenging activities, even when performance appears normal.

Why This Matters

This 1998 study provides early evidence that cell phone radiation affects brain electrical activity in measurable ways, particularly during cognitively demanding tasks. What makes this research significant is that it detected neurological changes even when subjects' actual performance remained unchanged - suggesting the brain was working harder to maintain the same level of function under EMF exposure. The fact that effects appeared only during complex cognitive tasks, not simple movements, indicates that radiation may specifically interfere with higher-order brain processing. While this study predates modern smartphones with their more complex radiation patterns, it establishes a foundation showing that even basic cell phone emissions can alter brain wave patterns. The research adds to a growing body of evidence that EMF exposure affects nervous system function at levels below what current safety standards consider harmful.

Exposure Information

Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study.

Study Details

The influence of electromagnetic fields (EMF) emitted by cellular phones on preparatory slow brain potentials (SP) was studied in two different experimental tasks

In the first, healthy male human subjects had to perform simple self-paced finger movements to elici...

Whereas subjects' performance did not differ between the EMF exposure conditions, SP parameters were...

Cite This Study
Freude, G, Ullsperger, P, Eggert ,S, Ruppe, I (1998). Effects of microwaves emitted by cellular phones on human slow brain potentials. Bioelectromagnetics 19(6):384-387, 1998.
Show BibTeX
@article{freude_1998_effects_of_microwaves_emitted_2085,
  author = {Freude and G and Ullsperger and P and Eggert  andS and Ruppe and I},
  title = {Effects of microwaves emitted by cellular phones on human slow brain potentials.},
  year = {1998},
  
  url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9738529/},
}
PubMed: 9738529

Cited By (164 papers)

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Quick Questions About This Study

Yes, German researchers found that cell phone radiation significantly altered slow brain potentials (electrical patterns that prepare the brain for action) during demanding cognitive tasks, but not during simple finger movements. This suggests phone radiation can interfere with brain electrical activity during mentally challenging activities.
Research shows cell phone radiation significantly decreased slow brain potentials in central and temporo-parieto-occipital brain regions during complex visual-motor tasks. However, radiation didn't affect brain wave patterns during simple finger movements, indicating the effect depends on task complexity.
Yes, a 1998 German study found that cell phone radiation altered brain electrical patterns during cognitive tasks even though subjects' actual performance remained unchanged. This means phone radiation can affect brain function in ways that aren't immediately obvious through behavior.
Cell phone radiation did not affect Bereitschaftspotential (brain waves that occur before voluntary movements) during simple finger movement tasks. However, radiation did significantly alter slow brain potentials during more complex cognitive activities requiring visual-motor coordination.
Cell phone radiation significantly decreased slow brain potentials in central and temporo-parieto-occipital brain regions during demanding cognitive tasks. Notably, the frontal brain region showed no significant changes, suggesting radiation effects vary by brain location and task complexity.