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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 during 40 minutes of exposure at typical smartphone SAR levels.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

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):

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 Exposure Level in ContextStudy Exposure Level in ContextThis study: 0.5 W/kgExtreme Concern - 0.1 W/kgFCC Limit - 1.6 W/kgEffects observed in the Extreme Concern rangeFCC limit is 3x higher than this level

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.

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_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},
}
DOI: 10.1038/jcbfm.2009.14

Cited By (24 papers)

Quick Questions About This Study

Yes, a 2009 brain imaging study found that 902.40 MHz GSM radiation from cell phones caused measurable changes in frontal cortex blood flow. Researchers detected a gradual increase in deoxygenated blood during 40 minutes of real phone exposure compared to fake exposure, indicating altered brain activity patterns.
Yes, researchers successfully used functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to detect brain changes from GSM phone exposure. The study demonstrated that fNIRS can safely and non-invasively measure cortical activation changes during mobile phone exposure, making it a valuable tool for EMF brain research.
GSM phone radiation begins affecting frontal cortex activity within 40 minutes of exposure. Italian researchers found a linear increase in deoxygenated blood levels over time during real phone exposure, suggesting that brain changes occur gradually but measurably during typical phone call durations.
Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) effectively shows GSM radiation effects on the brain. This 2009 study used fNIRS to detect specific blood flow changes in the frontal cortex during 902.40 MHz phone exposure that weren't visible with fake exposure conditions.
The study found measurable brain blood flow changes during GSM exposure, but researchers noted these were short-term effects. They recommended larger studies with multichannel instruments to better understand whether brief exposures cause lasting changes in frontal cortex activity patterns.