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Acute mobile phones exposure affects frontal cortex hemodynamics as evidenced by functional near-infrared spectroscopy.

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Curcio G, Ferrara M, Limongi T, Tempesta D, Di Sante G, De Gennaro L, Quaresima V, Ferrari M. · 2009

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Cell phone radiation measurably altered brain blood flow in the frontal cortex within 40 minutes of exposure.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Italian researchers used functional near-infrared spectroscopy to measure blood flow changes in the frontal cortex (the brain region behind your forehead) while 11 volunteers were exposed to cell phone radiation for 40 minutes. They found that real phone exposure caused a gradual increase in deoxygenated blood in this brain region, while fake exposure did not. This suggests that cell phone radiation can alter brain blood flow patterns even during short-term use.

Why This Matters

This study provides direct evidence that cell phone radiation affects brain physiology in measurable ways, even during relatively brief exposure periods. The researchers used sophisticated brain imaging technology to detect changes in blood oxygenation in the frontal cortex, the brain region most directly exposed when you hold a phone to your ear. What makes this finding particularly significant is that these changes occurred within 40 minutes of exposure - shorter than many typical phone conversations. The fact that only deoxygenated blood levels increased suggests the brain may be working harder or experiencing stress during phone use. While the study involved only 11 participants and the authors appropriately call for larger studies, this research adds to the growing body of evidence that EMF exposure produces immediate, detectable changes in brain function that we're only beginning to understand.

Exposure Information

Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study.

Study Details

This study aimed to evaluate by functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), the effects induced by an acute exposure (40 mins) to a GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) signal emitted by a mobile phone (MP) on the oxygenation of the frontal cortex.

Eleven healthy volunteers underwent two sessions (Real and Sham exposure) after a crossover, randomi...

The fNIRS results showed a slight influence of the GSM signal on frontal cortex, with a linear incre...

These results suggest that fNIRS is a convenient tool for safely and noninvasively investigating the cortical activation in MP exposure experimental settings. Given the short-term effects observed in this study, the results should be confirmed on a larger sample size and using a multichannel instrument that allows the investigation of a wider portion of the frontal cortex.

Cite This Study
Curcio G, Ferrara M, Limongi T, Tempesta D, Di Sante G, De Gennaro L, Quaresima V, Ferrari M. (2009). Acute mobile phones exposure affects frontal cortex hemodynamics as evidenced by functional near-infrared spectroscopy. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab.29(5):903-910, 2009.
Show BibTeX
@article{g_2009_acute_mobile_phones_exposure_2006,
  author = {Curcio G and Ferrara M and Limongi T and Tempesta D and Di Sante G and De Gennaro L and Quaresima V and Ferrari M.},
  title = {Acute mobile phones exposure affects frontal cortex hemodynamics as evidenced by functional near-infrared spectroscopy.},
  year = {2009},
  
  url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19240743/},
}
PubMed: 19240743

Cited By (24 papers)

Quick Questions About This Study

Yes, Italian researchers found that 40 minutes of cell phone exposure caused gradual increases in deoxygenated blood in the frontal cortex. Using near-infrared spectroscopy, they measured real-time blood flow changes in 11 volunteers, showing that even short-term phone use can alter brain circulation patterns.
Yes, functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) successfully detected blood flow changes in the frontal cortex during cell phone exposure. This 2009 Italian study demonstrated that fNIRS is a convenient, non-invasive tool for measuring how phone radiation affects brain activity in real-time.
GSM cell phone signals cause a linear increase in deoxygenated blood in the frontal cortex over time. Italian researchers found this specific blood flow pattern occurred only during real phone exposure, not during fake exposure, suggesting GSM radiation directly affects brain circulation.
Phone radiation gradually increases deoxygenated blood levels in the frontal cortex, the brain region behind your forehead. This 2009 study used brain imaging to show that 40 minutes of cell phone exposure creates measurable changes in blood flow patterns in this critical brain area.
Yes, functional near-infrared spectroscopy safely measures brain blood flow changes from phone exposure without harm. This non-invasive imaging technique detected significant frontal cortex changes in just 11 volunteers, proving researchers can study phone radiation effects on the brain without risk to participants.