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Electromagnetic field of mobile phones affects visual event related potential in patients with narcolepsy.

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Jech R, Sonka K, Ruzicka E, Nebuzelsky A, Bohm J, Juklickova M, Nevsimalova S. · 2001

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Cell phone radiation at typical use levels directly altered brain activity and improved reaction times in real-time during exposure.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers exposed 22 patients with narcolepsy (a sleep disorder causing excessive daytime sleepiness) to cell phone radiation for 45 minutes and measured their brain activity during cognitive tasks. They found that the electromagnetic fields improved the patients' reaction times by 20 milliseconds and enhanced brain responses to visual stimuli, suggesting the radiation temporarily reduced their sleepiness and improved mental performance.

Why This Matters

This study reveals something remarkable: cell phone radiation at everyday exposure levels can directly alter brain function and cognitive performance. The 0.06 W/kg SAR level used here is well below current safety limits and typical of what you experience during normal phone use. What makes this particularly significant is that these effects occurred in real-time during exposure, not hours later. The researchers found measurable changes in brain electrical activity and faster reaction times, demonstrating that EMF can cross the blood-brain barrier and influence neural processing. While the study focused on narcolepsy patients, the findings raise important questions about how cell phone radiation might be affecting cognitive function in healthy individuals during everyday use.

Exposure Details

SAR
0.06 W/kg
Source/Device
900 MHz
Exposure Duration
45 minutes

Where This Falls on the Concern Scale

Study Exposure Level in ContextStudy Exposure Level in ContextThis study: 0.06 W/kgExtreme Concern - 0.1 W/kgFCC Limit - 1.6 W/kgEffects observed in the Severe Concern rangeFCC limit is 27x higher than this level
A logarithmic frequency spectrum from 10 Hz to 100 GHz showing where this study's 900 MHz exposure sits relative to common EMF sources.Where This Frequency Sits on the EMF SpectrumELFVLFLF / MFHF / VHFUHFSHFmm10 Hz100 GHzThis study: 900 MHzPower lines50/60 Hz5G mm28 GHzLogarithmic scale

Study Details

The effects of the mobile phone (MP) electromagnetic fields on electroencephalography (EEG) and event-related potentials (ERP) were examined.

With regard to the reported effects of MP on sleep, 22 patients with narcolepsy-cataplexy were expos...

The exposure enhanced the positivity of the ERP endogenous complex solely in response to target stim...

In conclusion, the electromagnetic field of MP may suppress the excessive sleepiness and improve performance while solving a monotonous cognitive task requiring sustained attention and vigilance.

Cite This Study
Jech R, Sonka K, Ruzicka E, Nebuzelsky A, Bohm J, Juklickova M, Nevsimalova S. (2001). Electromagnetic field of mobile phones affects visual event related potential in patients with narcolepsy. Bioelectromagnetics 22(7):519-528, 2001.
Show BibTeX
@article{r_2001_electromagnetic_field_of_mobile_1045,
  author = {Jech R and Sonka K and Ruzicka E and Nebuzelsky A and Bohm J and Juklickova M and Nevsimalova S.},
  title = {Electromagnetic field of mobile phones affects visual event related potential in patients with narcolepsy.},
  year = {2001},
  
  url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11568938/},
}
PubMed: 11568938

Cited By (48 papers)

Quick Questions About This Study

A 2001 study found that 45-minute exposure to 900 MHz cell phone radiation improved reaction times by 20 milliseconds in narcolepsy patients and enhanced their brain responses to visual tasks, suggesting the electromagnetic fields temporarily reduced excessive sleepiness and improved mental performance during monotonous cognitive tasks.
Research on narcolepsy patients showed that 900 MHz electromagnetic field exposure shortened reaction times by 20 milliseconds across all target stimuli. The study found cell phone radiation may suppress excessive sleepiness and enhance performance during tasks requiring sustained attention and vigilance in people with sleep disorders.
A study exposing 22 narcolepsy patients to cell phone radiation for 45 minutes found enhanced brain responses specifically to visual stimuli in the right visual field. The electromagnetic fields improved the patients' event-related brain potentials, indicating better visual processing and reduced sleepiness during cognitive tasks.
Research on narcolepsy patients demonstrated that 900 MHz electromagnetic fields from mobile phones can temporarily suppress excessive daytime sleepiness. The study found improved cognitive performance and faster reaction times during sustained attention tasks, suggesting the radiation has alerting effects on the brain.
When narcolepsy patients were exposed to 900 MHz cell phone electromagnetic fields, researchers measured enhanced positivity in brain event-related potentials specifically for target visual stimuli. These brain activity changes correlated with improved reaction times and better performance on monotonous cognitive tasks requiring vigilance.