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Individual differences in the effects of mobile phone exposure on human sleep: Rethinking the problem

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Loughran SP, McKenzie RJ, Jackson ML, Howard ME, Croft RJ. · 2012

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EEG spectral power in the sleep spindle frequency range increased after mobile phone-like exposure, with the effect varying by individual.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Twenty volunteers each underwent two experimental nights in which they were randomly exposed to either an active or sham condition before a full night of sleep. EEG spectral power was increased in the sleep spindle frequency range in the first 30 minutes of non-REM sleep after active exposure. The increase was more prominent in participants who had already shown an increase in the original study, suggesting the effect is sensitive to individual variability.

Why This Matters

The researchers hypothesised that individual differences in response might partly explain why studies in this area have produced inconsistent results. The study confirmed previous findings of mobile phone-like emissions affecting the EEG during non-REM sleep. The authors suggested that previous negative results are not strong evidence for a lack of an effect, given that individual variability may obscure findings. They concluded that the interpretation of results and the manner in which research is conducted in this field may need to be reconsidered.

Exposure Details

SAR
0.11 and 0.674 W/kg
Source/Device
894.6 MHz
Exposure Duration
continuous for 30 min

Where This Falls on the Concern Scale

Study Exposure Level in ContextStudy Exposure Level in ContextThis study: 0.11 and 0.674 W/kgExtreme Concern - 0.1 W/kgFCC Limit - 1.6 W/kgEffects observed in the Extreme Concern range (Building Biology)FCC limit is 15 times higher than this level
A logarithmic frequency spectrum from 10 Hz to 100 GHz showing where this study's 894.6 MHz exposure sits relative to common EMF sources.Where This Frequency Sits on the EMF SpectrumELFVLFLF / MFHF / VHFUHFSHFmm10 Hz100 GHzThis study: 894.6 MHzPower lines50/60 Hz5G mm28 GHzLogarithmic scale

Study Details

We hypothesised that these differences might partly be due to individual variability in response, and that mobile phone emissions may in fact have large but differential effects on human brain activity.

Twenty volunteers from our previous study underwent an adaptation night followed by two experimental...

The EEG spectral power was increased in the sleep spindle frequency range in the first 30 min of no...

Cite This Study
Loughran SP, McKenzie RJ, Jackson ML, Howard ME, Croft RJ. (2012). Individual differences in the effects of mobile phone exposure on human sleep: Rethinking the problem Bioelectromagnetics. 33(1):86-93, 2012.
Show BibTeX
@article{sp_2012_individual_differences_in_the_130,
  author = {Loughran SP and McKenzie RJ and Jackson ML and Howard ME and Croft RJ.},
  title = {Individual differences in the effects of mobile phone exposure on human sleep: Rethinking the problem},
  year = {2012},
  doi = {10.1002/bem.20691},
  url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/bem.20691},
}
DOI: 10.1002/bem.20691

Cited By (69 papers)

View all 69 citing papers on Semantic Scholar

Quick Questions About This Study

The study examined EEG spectral power in the sleep spindle frequency range during non-REM sleep.
Volunteers were randomly exposed to two conditions, active and sham, across two experimental nights.
The effect was sensitive to individual variability, and was more prominent in participants who had shown an increase in a prior study.
The researchers indicated that previous negative results are not strong evidence for a lack of an effect.
They suggested researchers may need to rethink the interpretation of results and the manner in which research is conducted in this field.