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Cognitive effects of cellular phones: a possible role of non-radiofrequency radiation factors.

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Hareuveny R, Eliyahu I, Luria R, Meiran N, Margaliot M. · 2011

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Cell phone cognitive effects persisted even when radiofrequency radiation was eliminated, suggesting non-EMF factors may contribute to brain function changes.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Israeli researchers tested whether cell phones affect cognitive performance by having 29 men perform memory tasks while phones were attached to their heads. In a clever twist, they used external antennas placed far away to eliminate radiofrequency radiation from the phones themselves. Even without RF exposure, they still found the same cognitive effects as their previous studies, suggesting that factors other than radiation might be responsible for phone-related cognitive changes.

Why This Matters

This study raises important questions about what we think we know regarding cell phone effects on the brain. The researchers essentially created a control condition that eliminated RF radiation while keeping everything else the same - and still found cognitive effects. What this means for you is that the relationship between phones and brain function may be more complex than simply 'radiation equals harm.' The findings suggest that psychological factors, the physical presence of devices, or other non-RF elements might play a role in cognitive changes previously attributed to electromagnetic fields. This doesn't dismiss EMF concerns entirely, but it demonstrates the importance of rigorous experimental design in separating true EMF effects from confounding factors. The reality is that determining causation in EMF research requires careful attention to all variables, not just radiation exposure.

Exposure Information

Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study.

Study Details

The aim of this study is to investigate Cognitive effects of cellular phones: a possible role of non-radiofrequency radiation factors.

In this brief follow-up experiment, 29 right-handed male subjects were divided into two groups. Each...

Contrary to our previous studies, in this work external antennas located far away from the subjects ...

These results indicate that some of the effects previously attributed to RFR can be the result of some confounders.

Cite This Study
Hareuveny R, Eliyahu I, Luria R, Meiran N, Margaliot M. (2011). Cognitive effects of cellular phones: a possible role of non-radiofrequency radiation factors. Bioelectromagnetics. 32(7):585-588, 2011.
Show BibTeX
@article{r_2011_cognitive_effects_of_cellular_2182,
  author = {Hareuveny R and Eliyahu I and Luria R and Meiran N and Margaliot M.},
  title = {Cognitive effects of cellular phones: a possible role of non-radiofrequency radiation factors.},
  year = {2011},
  
  url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21488064/},
}
PubMed: 21488064

Cited By (14 papers)

View all 14 citing papers on Semantic Scholar

Quick Questions About This Study

Yes, Israeli researchers found that cell phones impacted cognitive performance even when radiofrequency radiation was eliminated using external antennas. This 2011 study suggests factors other than radiation itself may cause phone-related memory effects.
This study challenges that assumption. Researchers found the same cognitive effects occurred even when phones emitted no radiofrequency radiation, indicating non-radiation factors may be responsible for brain-related impacts from phone use.
The relationship may be more complex than radiation alone. This research found concentration effects persisted even without radiofrequency exposure, suggesting other phone-related factors beyond radiation contribute to cognitive changes during use.
The cause remains unclear. This study found memory and cognitive effects occurred even without radiofrequency radiation exposure, indicating confounding factors like electromagnetic fields, heat, or behavioral changes may be responsible.
Yes, but not necessarily from radiation. Researchers found cognitive impacts when phones were attached to heads even without radiofrequency emissions, suggesting the physical presence or other factors influence brain function.