Acute mobile phones exposure affects frontal cortex hemodynamics as evidenced by functional near-infrared spectroscopy
Curcio G, Ferrara M, Limongi T, Tempesta D, Di Sante G, De Gennaro L, Quaresima V, Ferrari M · 2009
View Original AbstractCell phone radiation measurably altered brain blood flow during 40 minutes of exposure at typical smartphone SAR levels.
Plain English Summary
Researchers used brain imaging technology to measure blood flow changes in the frontal cortex of 11 volunteers during 40 minutes of cell phone exposure. They found that real phone exposure caused a gradual increase in deoxygenated blood in brain tissue compared to fake exposure, indicating altered brain activity. This suggests that even brief cell phone use can measurably change how blood flows through critical brain regions.
Why This Matters
This study provides direct evidence that cell phone radiation alters brain physiology in real-time, using sophisticated imaging technology to track blood flow changes in the frontal cortex. The SAR level of 0.5 W/kg falls within typical ranges for many smartphones during calls, making these findings relevant to everyday phone use. What makes this research particularly significant is that it demonstrates measurable biological changes occurring during the exposure period itself, not just afterward. The frontal cortex controls executive functions like decision-making and attention, so alterations in blood flow to this region raise important questions about cognitive impacts. While the researchers appropriately call for larger studies, the precision of their measurement technique and the controlled experimental design strengthen confidence in these findings.
Exposure Details
- SAR
- 0.5 W/kg
- Source/Device
- 902.40 GSM Mobile Phone
- Exposure Duration
- 40 mins
Exposure Context
This study used 0.5 W/kg for SAR (device absorption):
- 1.3x above the Building Biology guideline of 0.4 W/kg
Building Biology guidelines are practitioner-based limits from real-world assessments. BioInitiative Report recommendations are based on peer-reviewed science. Check Your Exposure to compare your own measurements.
Where This Falls on the Concern Scale
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...
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.
Show BibTeX
@article{g_2009_acute_mobile_phones_exposure_83,
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},
doi = {10.1038/jcbfm.2009.14},
url = {https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1038/jcbfm.2009.14},
}