Browse 3,138 peer-reviewed studies on electromagnetic field health effects from the BioInitiative Report database.
Showing 1,644 studies in Brain & Nervous System
Yogesh S, Abha S, Priyanka S. · 2014
Researchers studied 100 medical students to see if heavy mobile phone use affected their sleep quality. Students using phones more than 2 hours daily experienced significantly more sleep problems, including difficulty falling asleep, frequent nighttime awakenings, and daytime fatigue. The effects were particularly pronounced in female students and those who used phones in the evening.
Velayutham P, Govindasamy GK, Raman R, Prepageran N, Ng KH · 2014
Researchers compared hearing in 100 mobile phone users by testing the ear they typically hold their phone against versus their other ear. They found significant high-frequency hearing loss (above 8 kHz) in the dominant phone ear compared to the non-dominant ear. This suggests that chronic mobile phone use may cause measurable hearing damage at frequencies above normal hearing tests.
Seckin E et al. · 2014
Researchers exposed pregnant rats and their newborn pups to cell phone radiation (900 and 1800 MHz) for one hour daily during critical developmental periods. While hearing tests showed no differences, microscopic examination revealed significant cellular damage in the inner ear, including increased cell death and abnormal cell structures. This suggests that developing hearing organs may be particularly vulnerable to radiofrequency radiation during crucial growth periods.
Davanipour Z, Tseng C-C, Lee PJ, Markides KS, Sobel E. · 2014
Researchers studied 3,050 elderly Mexican Americans to examine whether jobs with high magnetic field exposure affected severe cognitive problems. Workers in high-exposure occupations like power plants were 3.4 times more likely to develop severe cognitive dysfunction, particularly among older adults and smokers.
Saikhedkar N et al. · 2014
Researchers exposed young rats to 900 MHz cell phone radiation for 4 hours daily over 15 days to study brain effects. The exposed rats showed increased anxiety, poor learning and memory, damaged brain cells in key memory regions, and signs of cellular stress from harmful molecules called free radicals. This suggests that prolonged cell phone radiation exposure may damage the brain areas responsible for learning and memory.
Movvahedi MM et al. · 2014
Researchers exposed 60 elementary school children (ages 8-10) to cell phone radiation for 10 minutes and tested their reaction times and memory performance. Surprisingly, the children performed better on short-term memory tests after radiation exposure compared to sham exposure. This unexpected finding challenges assumptions about how radiofrequency radiation affects developing brains.
Lv B, Su C, Yang L, Xie Y, Wu T · 2014
Researchers exposed 10 people to 4G LTE cell phone signals for 30 minutes while monitoring their brain activity with EEG sensors. They found that the radiofrequency exposure changed how different parts of the brain synchronized their electrical activity patterns. This suggests that wireless signals from modern smartphones can alter brain function even during short-term exposure.
Kesari KK, Meena R, Nirala J, Kumar J, Verma HN. · 2014
Researchers exposed young rats to 3G cell phone radiation for 2 hours daily over 60 days and examined their brain tissue. The study found significant DNA damage, increased cell death, and activation of stress response pathways in the brain. These findings suggest that prolonged cell phone exposure may harm brain cells through oxidative stress and cellular damage mechanisms.
Zuo H et al. · 2014
Researchers exposed neural cells to microwave radiation at 2.856 GHz for 5 minutes and found that the radiation triggered cell death (apoptosis) by disrupting a key protective protein called RKIP. When RKIP levels dropped after radiation exposure, it activated harmful cellular pathways that led to DNA fragmentation and neural cell death. This study identifies a specific biological mechanism by which microwave radiation can damage brain cells.
Yilmaz A et al. · 2014
Researchers exposed rats to mobile phone radiation at typical usage levels for four weeks, then examined brain tissue for signs of cell death (apoptosis). They found significantly increased levels of proteins that control cell death in the exposed rats compared to unexposed controls. This suggests that mobile phone radiation may trigger cellular stress responses in brain tissue at exposure levels similar to everyday phone use.
Wang LF et al. · 2014
Researchers exposed blood-brain barrier cells to microwave radiation for 5 minutes and found it damaged the protective barrier between blood and brain. The microwaves broke down cellular connections, allowing substances to leak through that normally can't enter brain tissue.
Wang H et al. · 2014
Chinese researchers exposed rats to microwave radiation at levels similar to some wireless devices and tracked their brain function for 18 months. The exposed rats showed persistent problems with spatial learning and memory, along with damage to brain structures and disrupted brain chemistry. This suggests that microwave exposure can cause lasting cognitive impairment through multiple biological mechanisms.
Valbonesi P, Franzellitti S, Bersani F, Contin A, Fabbri E. · 2014
Italian scientists exposed nerve cells to cell phone radiation at twice safety limits for 24 hours. Only specific GSM signal patterns triggered cellular stress responses, while other signal types had no effect. This suggests the way phone signals are structured affects biological impact.
Sharma A, Sisodia R, Bhatnagar D, Saxena VK. · 2014
Researchers exposed mice to 10 GHz microwave radiation for two hours daily over 30 days, then tested their memory using a water maze. Exposed mice took significantly longer to learn and remember locations, suggesting microwave exposure may impair memory formation and learning ability.
Qiao S et al. · 2014
Researchers exposed rats to microwave radiation at 30 mW/cm² for 5 minutes and found it impaired their spatial memory and learning abilities. The study revealed that this radiation disrupted a key brain protein called synapsin I, which controls the release of GABA (a neurotransmitter essential for proper brain function). This disruption in brain chemistry provides a biological mechanism explaining how microwave exposure can affect cognitive performance.
Pelletier A et al. · 2014
Researchers exposed young rats to cell phone-frequency radiation (900 MHz) for five weeks and found the animals developed altered sleep patterns and temperature preferences. The exposed rats slept 15.5% longer, preferred warmer environments, and had cooler tail temperatures, suggesting the radiation disrupted their normal body temperature regulation. This provides biological evidence that radiofrequency exposure can interfere with fundamental physiological processes like sleep and thermoregulation.
Maskey D, Kim MJ · 2014
Researchers exposed mice to radiofrequency radiation at 1.6 W/kg (similar to cell phone levels) and examined brain proteins that protect auditory neurons. They found significant decreases in two protective proteins (BDNF and GDNF) in the superior olivary complex, a brain region crucial for hearing and sound processing. This suggests RF exposure may harm the brain's auditory system by reducing proteins that normally keep hearing neurons healthy.
Lee W, Yang KL. · 2014
Researchers exposed fish embryos to extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields (3.2 kHz) at various intensities to study developmental effects. They found that EMF exposure accelerated embryonic development across multiple measures including eye formation, brain development, and hatching time. Fish exposed to the highest EMF levels also showed increased anxiety-like behavior after hatching.
Hu S et al. · 2014
Researchers exposed rats to high-power microwave radiation for 15 minutes daily over two weeks and found it caused memory problems and brain damage. However, when they gave the rats a dietary supplement called Kang-fu-ling (KFL), it protected their brains by reducing oxidative stress (cellular damage from harmful molecules). This suggests that certain antioxidant compounds might help shield the brain from microwave radiation damage.
Dasdag S et al. · 2014
Turkish researchers exposed rats to cell phone radiation (900 MHz) for 3 hours daily over an entire year and found it altered microRNA in brain tissue. MicroRNAs are tiny molecules that control gene activity and play crucial roles in brain function, cell growth, and death. This study demonstrates that chronic radiofrequency exposure can disrupt these fundamental cellular control mechanisms in the brain.
Choi SB, Kwon MK, Chung JW, Park JS, Chung K, Kim DW. · 2014
Researchers exposed 26 adults and 26 teenagers to radiation from 3G mobile phones for 32 minutes, measuring heart rate, breathing, and other body functions. The study found no significant changes in heart function, nervous system activity, or symptoms in either age group during exposure. This suggests that short-term exposure to 3G phone radiation at typical levels doesn't immediately affect basic body functions.
Chen C et al. · 2014
Scientists exposed developing brain cells to cell phone radiation at 1800 MHz for three days. The radiation didn't kill cells but significantly impaired their ability to grow connections needed for proper brain function, suggesting potential risks to brain development during pregnancy.
Cammaerts M-C, Vandenbosch GAE, Volski V. · 2014
Researchers exposed ant colonies to cell phone radiation at levels legally permitted in Brussels (1.5 V/m) for just 10 minutes and observed significant changes in their behavior. The ants showed reduced ability to follow scent trails, decreased orientation toward alarm signals, and altered movement patterns. This matters because ants use similar biological processes to humans for navigation and communication, suggesting that common environmental EMF levels may affect basic biological functions.
van Nierop LE, Slottje P, van Zandvoort M, Kromhout H. · 2014
Researchers exposed 36 healthy volunteers to magnetic fields from a 7 Tesla MRI scanner to test effects on brain function. They found that exposure to both static magnetic fields (1.0 Tesla) combined with time-varying fields created by head movement significantly impaired verbal memory and visual acuity, while static fields alone had no effect. This suggests that movement within strong magnetic fields may be particularly problematic for cognitive performance.
Spasić S, Kesić S, Stojadinović G, Petković B, Todorović D. · 2014
Researchers exposed longhorn beetles to 50 Hz magnetic fields at 2 milliTesla (similar to levels near power lines) for 5 minutes and measured changes in brain activity patterns. They found that the magnetic field exposure caused lasting changes to the beetles' brain wave patterns that persisted even after the exposure ended. This demonstrates that even brief exposure to extremely low frequency magnetic fields can produce measurable, persistent effects on nervous system function.