Electromagnetic field of mobile phones affects visual event related potential in patients with narcolepsy.
Jech R, Sonka K, Ruzicka E, Nebuzelsky A, Bohm J, Juklickova M, Nevsimalova S. · 2001
View Original AbstractCell phone radiation at typical use levels directly altered brain activity and improved reaction times in real-time during exposure.
Plain English Summary
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 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.
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/},
}