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Brain & Nervous System163 citations

Mobile phone affects cerebral blood flow in humans.

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Aalto S, Haarala C, Bruck A, Sipila H, Hamalainen H, Rinne JO. · 2006

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Cell phones measurably alter blood flow patterns in the human brain, providing first direct evidence of real-time physiological effects.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Finnish researchers used brain imaging to study how cell phones affect blood flow in the brain while 12 men performed memory tasks. They found that an active mobile phone decreased blood flow directly beneath the antenna in the temporal lobe while increasing it in the frontal brain region. This provides the first direct evidence that cell phone radiation can measurably alter brain physiology in humans.

Why This Matters

This groundbreaking study represents a crucial milestone in EMF research because it provides objective, measurable evidence that cell phone radiation affects brain function in real-time. Using positron emission tomography (PET) imaging, the researchers demonstrated that the electromagnetic fields from a commercial mobile phone cause detectable changes in regional cerebral blood flow patterns. What makes this particularly significant is that blood flow changes indicate altered neuronal activity, suggesting that your brain responds physiologically to cell phone radiation even during normal use. The fact that these changes occurred in specific brain regions corresponding to antenna placement adds biological plausibility to concerns about localized EMF effects. While the study doesn't establish harm, it definitively shows that cell phone radiation isn't biologically inert as industry often claims.

Exposure Information

Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study.

Study Details

We studied the effects of a commercial mobile phone on regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in healthy humans using positron emission tomography (PET) imaging

Positron emission tomography data was acquired using a double-blind, counterbalanced study design wi...

Explorative and objective voxel-based statistical analysis revealed that a mobile phone in operation...

Our results provide the first evidence, suggesting that the EMF emitted by a commercial mobile phone affects rCBF in humans. These results are consistent with the postulation that EMF induces changes in neuronal activity.

Cite This Study
Aalto S, Haarala C, Bruck A, Sipila H, Hamalainen H, Rinne JO. (2006). Mobile phone affects cerebral blood flow in humans. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab. 26(7):885-890, 2006.
Show BibTeX
@article{s_2006_mobile_phone_affects_cerebral_1799,
  author = {Aalto S and Haarala C and Bruck A and Sipila H and Hamalainen H and Rinne JO.},
  title = {Mobile phone affects cerebral blood flow in humans.},
  year = {2006},
  doi = {10.1038/sj.jcbfm.9600279},
  url = {https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1038/sj.jcbfm.9600279},
}
DOI: 10.1038/sj.jcbfm.9600279

Cited By (163 papers)

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Quick Questions About This Study

Yes, a 2006 Finnish study found that active cell phones measurably alter brain blood flow in humans. The research showed decreased blood flow directly beneath the phone's antenna in the temporal lobe, while blood flow increased in the frontal brain region during memory tasks.
Research demonstrates that mobile phones can alter brain physiology during mental activities. A brain imaging study found that cell phone operation changed regional cerebral blood flow patterns while participants performed memory tasks, providing direct evidence of measurable physiological changes.
Blood flow decreases in the temporal lobe area directly beneath a cell phone's antenna during operation. Finnish researchers using brain imaging technology documented this localized reduction in cerebral blood flow, suggesting the phone's electromagnetic field directly affects nearby brain tissue.
Yes, cell phones can increase blood flow in frontal brain regions while decreasing it near the antenna. A 2006 study found that mobile phone operation caused increased cerebral blood flow in the prefrontal cortex, distant from the phone's position.
Scientific evidence shows cell phone electromagnetic fields can change brain activity in humans. Research using objective brain imaging revealed that commercial mobile phones alter regional cerebral blood flow patterns, consistent with changes in neuronal activity during phone operation.