Radiofrequency signal affects alpha band in resting electroencephalogram
Ghosn R, Yahia-Cherif L, Hugueville L, Ducorps A, Lemaréchal JD, Thuróczy G, de Seze R, Selmaoui B · 2015
View Original AbstractCell phone radiation at typical call levels measurably altered brain wave patterns in healthy adults, with effects persisting after exposure ended.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed 26 healthy young adults to cell phone radiation (900 MHz GSM) for 26 minutes while measuring their brain waves using EEG. They found that exposure significantly reduced alpha brain wave activity when participants had their eyes closed, and this effect persisted even after the exposure ended. Alpha waves are associated with relaxed, wakeful states, suggesting that cell phone radiation can alter normal brain function.
Why This Matters
This study provides compelling evidence that cell phone radiation directly affects brain activity at exposure levels well within current safety limits. The SAR levels tested (0.49-0.93 W/kg) are typical of what you experience during a phone call, yet they produced measurable changes in alpha brain waves that lasted beyond the exposure period. What makes this research particularly significant is the rigorous experimental design - the researchers controlled for factors like stress hormones and caffeine that could influence brain waves, and used a double-blind protocol to eliminate bias. The persistence of effects after exposure ended suggests these aren't just temporary heating effects, but indicate that RF radiation can trigger biological responses in brain tissue. While we don't yet know the long-term health implications of altered alpha wave patterns, this study adds to a growing body of evidence showing that current exposure limits may not adequately protect against neurological effects.
Exposure Details
- SAR
- 0.49 , 0.70, 0.93 W/kg
- Source/Device
- GSM mobile phone 900 MHz
- Exposure Duration
- 26 min
Exposure Context
This study used 0.49 , 0.70, 0.93 W/kg for SAR (device absorption):
- 1.2x 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
The aim of the present work was to investigate the effects of the radiofrequency (RF) electromagnetic fields (EMFs) on human resting EEG with a control of some parameters that are known to affect alpha band, such as electrode impedance, salivary cortisol, and caffeine.
Eyes-open and eyes-closed resting EEG data were recorded in 26 healthy young subjects under two cond...
Compared with the sham session, the exposure session showed a statistically significant (P < 0.0001)...
These results suggest that GSM-EMFs of a mobile phone affect the alpha band within spectral power of resting human EEG
Show BibTeX
@article{r_2015_radiofrequency_signal_affects_alpha_103,
author = {Ghosn R and Yahia-Cherif L and Hugueville L and Ducorps A and Lemaréchal JD and Thuróczy G and de Seze R and Selmaoui B},
title = {Radiofrequency signal affects alpha band in resting electroencephalogram},
year = {2015},
doi = {10.1152/jn.00765.2014},
url = {https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/jn.00765.2014},
}