3,138 Studies Reviewed. 77.4% Found Biological Effects. The Evidence is Clear.

EMF Research Studies

Browse 3,138 peer-reviewed studies on electromagnetic field health effects from the BioInitiative Report database.

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Showing 1,644 studies in Brain & Nervous System

Brain & Nervous SystemNo Effects Found

ELF magnetic fields tuned to ion parametric resonance conditions do not affect TEA-sensitive voltage-dependent outward K(+) currents in a human neural cell line.

Gavoçi E et al. · 2013

Researchers tested whether extremely low frequency magnetic fields could affect potassium channels in human brain cells by using specific field combinations designed to trigger 'ion parametric resonance' - a theoretical mechanism where magnetic fields might interfere with how ions move through cell membranes. They found no changes in potassium channel activity during or after exposure, suggesting these particular magnetic field conditions don't disrupt this specific type of cellular communication in brain cells.

Brain & Nervous SystemNo Effects Found

Synchronization dynamics induced on pairs of neurons under applied weak alternating magnetic fields.

Azanza MJ et al. · 2013

Researchers exposed pairs of snail neurons to weak 50 Hz magnetic fields (similar to power line frequencies) to see if the fields could synchronize their electrical activity. They found that magnetic fields between 0.2 and 150 Gauss could indeed cause the neurons to fire in synchronized patterns, with stronger fields sometimes disrupting this synchronization. This suggests that extremely low frequency magnetic fields can directly influence how nerve cells communicate with each other.

Oxidative StressNo Effects Found

Effects of combined radiofrequency radiation exposure on levels of reactive oxygen species in neuronal cells.

Kang KA et al. · 2013

Researchers exposed neuronal brain cells to combined cell phone radiation (CDMA and WCDMA signals) for 2 hours to see if it would increase reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are harmful molecules that can damage cells. The study found no increase in ROS levels from the radiation exposure, even when combined with chemicals known to cause oxidative stress. This suggests the specific radiation levels tested did not trigger cellular damage in these lab-grown brain cells.

Brain & Nervous SystemNo Effects Found

Extremely Low-Frequency Magnetic Exposure Appears to Have No Effect on Pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s Disease in Aluminum-Overloaded Rat

Zhang C, Li Y, Wang C, Lv R, Song T · 2013

Researchers exposed rats to extremely low frequency magnetic fields (50 Hz at 100 µT) for 12 weeks to test whether EMF exposure could worsen Alzheimer's disease symptoms caused by aluminum poisoning. The magnetic field exposure alone showed no effect on brain health, and it didn't make aluminum-induced brain damage any worse. This suggests that EMF exposure at these levels doesn't contribute to Alzheimer's disease development.

Brain & Nervous SystemNo Effects Found

ELF magnetic fields tuned to ion parametric resonance conditions do not affect TEA-sensitive voltage-dependent outward K(+) currents in a human neural cell line.

Gavoçi E et al. · 2013

Researchers tested whether extremely low frequency magnetic fields tuned to specific resonance conditions could affect potassium ion channels in human brain cells. They found no significant changes in the electrical currents flowing through these channels when exposed to the magnetic fields. This study failed to confirm a theory called ion parametric resonance, which suggests that precisely tuned magnetic fields can disrupt cellular function by affecting ion movement.

Brain & Nervous SystemNo Effects Found

Synchronization dynamics induced on pairs of neurons under applied weak alternating magnetic fields.

Azanza MJ et al. · 2013

Spanish researchers exposed pairs of snail neurons to weak 50 Hz magnetic fields (the same frequency as household electricity) to study how these fields affect brain cell communication. They found that the magnetic fields could force neurons to fire in sync with each other, creating artificial patterns of brain activity that matched the timing of the field exposure. This suggests that extremely low frequency magnetic fields can directly influence how brain cells communicate with each other.

Brain & Nervous SystemNo Effects Found

No effects of a single 3G UMTS mobile phone exposure on spontaneous EEG activity, ERP correlates, and automatic deviance detection

Trunk A et al. · 2013

Researchers exposed 43 people to 30 minutes of 3G mobile phone radiation while measuring their brain waves and responses to sounds. They found no changes in brain electrical activity, hearing responses, or the brain's ability to detect unexpected sounds compared to fake exposure. This suggests short-term 3G phone use may not immediately affect these specific brain functions.

Sleep & Circadian RhythmNo Effects Found

Effects of electromagnetic fields emitted from W-CDMA-like mobile phones on sleep in humans.

Nakatani-Enomoto S et al. · 2013

Japanese researchers exposed 19 volunteers to cell phone-like electromagnetic fields for 3 hours before bedtime to see if it affected their sleep quality. They found no significant differences in how well people slept, how they felt the next morning, or their brain wave patterns during sleep compared to fake exposure. This suggests that 3-hour EMF exposure from mobile phone technology doesn't detectably disrupt normal sleep.

Brain & Nervous SystemNo Effects Found

No increased sensitivity in brain activity of adolescents exposed to mobile phone-like emissions

Loughran SP et al. · 2013

Researchers exposed 22 adolescents (ages 11-13) to cell phone-like radiation at two different power levels for 30 minutes while measuring brain activity and cognitive performance. They found no significant effects on brain waves or thinking abilities compared to fake exposure sessions. This suggests adolescents may not be more sensitive to mobile phone radiation than previously thought.

Brain & Nervous SystemNo Effects Found

The effects of exposure to 915 MHz radiofrequency identification on cerebral glucose metabolism in rat: A [F-18] FDG micro-PET study.

Kim HS et al. · 2013

Researchers exposed rats to 915 MHz radiofrequency radiation (used in RFID systems) for up to 16 weeks and measured brain glucose metabolism using advanced PET scanning. They found no changes in how the brain used glucose in any region tested, even at high exposure levels of 4 W/kg SAR. This suggests RFID radiation at these levels doesn't alter basic brain energy function in the short to medium term.

Brain & Nervous SystemNo Effects Found

Maternal cell phone and cordless phone use during pregnancy and behaviour problems in 5-year-old children

Guxens M et al. · 2013

Dutch researchers studied whether pregnant mothers using cell phones or cordless phones would have children with more behavioral problems at age 5. They followed 2,618 children and found no significant increase in behavioral issues among children whose mothers used phones during pregnancy, even with heavy phone use of 5 or more calls per day. The study suggests that prenatal phone exposure doesn't appear to cause behavioral problems in young children.

Brain & Nervous SystemNo Effects Found

In Situ Expression of Heat-Shock Proteins and 3-Nitrotyrosine in Brains of Young Rats Exposed to a WiFi Signal In Utero and In Early Life

Aït-Aïssa S et al. · 2013

French researchers exposed pregnant rats and their newborns to WiFi signals (2450 MHz) for 2 hours daily during pregnancy and early life, then examined brain tissue for signs of stress and damage. They found no differences in stress markers or heat-shock proteins between exposed and unexposed rats at any of the tested exposure levels. The study suggests that WiFi exposure during critical developmental periods may not cause detectable brain damage in rats.

Brain & Nervous SystemNo Effects Found

No influence of acute RF exposure (GSM-900, GSM-1800, and UMTS) on mouse retinal ganglion cell responses under constant temperature conditions

Ahlers MT, Ammermüller J · 2013

German researchers exposed isolated mouse retinal tissue to cell phone radiation at various power levels (including some 10 times higher than typical phone use) to see if it affected eye cells that help process vision. They found no changes in how these retinal ganglion cells responded to light, even at the highest radiation levels tested. The study was carefully controlled to eliminate temperature effects, focusing only on potential non-thermal impacts of RF radiation on eye function.

Complexities of sibling analysis when exposures and outcomes change with time and birth order.

Sudan M, Kheifets LI, Arah OA, Divan HA, Olsen J. · 2013

Researchers analyzed behavioral problems in over 52,000 Danish children exposed to cell phones before and after birth, comparing siblings within the same family to control for genetic and environmental factors. They found that cell phone exposure was linked to behavioral problems, but the association was strongest in first-born children and actually reversed in later-born siblings. This suggests that changing technology and usage patterns over time can complicate our understanding of EMF health effects.

p25/CDK5 is partially involved in neuronal injury induced by radiofrequency electromagnetic field exposure.

Zhang Y, She F, Li L, Chen C, Xu S, Luo X, Li M, He M, Yu Z. · 2013

Researchers exposed newborn rat brain cells to 2.45 GHz radiofrequency radiation (the same frequency used in WiFi and microwaves) for just 10 minutes and found significant neuronal damage. The brain cells showed decreased viability, increased cell death, and abnormal protein changes associated with neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's. The study identified a specific cellular pathway (p25/CDK5) that appears to drive this RF-induced brain cell injury.

Association between Problematic Cellular Phone Use and Suicide: The Moderating Effect of Family Function and Depression.

Wang PW, Liu TL, Ko CH, Lin HC, Huang MF, Yeh YC, Yen CF. · 2013

Researchers studied over 5,000 teenagers in Taiwan to examine whether problematic cell phone use is linked to suicidal thoughts and attempts. They found that teens with problematic phone use had twice the rate of suicidal thoughts (23.5% vs 11.8%) and nearly three times the rate of suicide attempts (13.7% vs 5.5%) compared to teens without phone problems. The study revealed that strong family relationships can help protect teens with phone addiction from these serious mental health risks.

Pyramidal Cell Loss in the Cornu Ammonis of 32-day-old Female Rats Following Exposure to a 900 Megahertz Electromagnetic Field During Prenatal Days 13–21

Orhan Baş et al. · 2013

Researchers exposed pregnant rats to 900 MHz radiofrequency radiation (similar to cell phone frequencies) during a critical brain development period and found significant loss of brain cells in the hippocampus region of their female offspring. The exposed rat pups had fewer pyramidal cells in the cornu ammonis, a brain area crucial for memory and learning. This suggests that EMF exposure during pregnancy may harm developing brains, potentially affecting cognitive function later in life.

Alterations of visual reaction time and short term memory in military radar personnel.

Mortazavi SM, Taeb S, Dehghan N. · 2013

Researchers compared the cognitive performance of 100 military radar operators to 57 unexposed controls, testing their reaction times and short-term memory abilities. They found radar workers had significantly faster reaction times but substantially worse memory performance across all measures tested. This suggests that occupational exposure to high-powered radar microwaves (2-18 GHz) may alter brain function in ways that could both help and harm job performance.

Non-thermal continuous and modulated electromagnetic radiation fields effects on sleep EEG of rats.

Mohammed HS, Fahmy HM, Radwah NM, Elsayed AA · 2013

Researchers exposed rats to 900 MHz radiofrequency radiation (similar to cell phone signals) for one hour daily over a month and measured their brain waves during sleep. The study found that REM sleep - the deep sleep phase crucial for memory and brain restoration - was significantly disrupted, with longer delays before entering REM sleep and changes to normal sleep cycles. This suggests that even non-thermal levels of RF radiation can interfere with essential sleep patterns.

Spatial learning, monoamines and oxidative stress in rats exposed to 900MHz electromagnetic field in combination with iron overload.

Maaroufi K et al. · 2013

Researchers exposed rats to 900 MHz radiofrequency radiation (the same frequency used by many cell phones) and tested their learning and memory abilities. The EMF-exposed rats showed impaired performance on tasks requiring natural exploration behavior and had altered brain chemistry, particularly in the hippocampus (a key memory center). Interestingly, adding iron overload to the brain didn't make the EMF effects worse, suggesting the radiation alone was sufficient to cause these cognitive changes.

The alteration of spontaneous low frequency oscillations caused by acute electromagnetic fields exposure.

Lv B, Chen Z, Wu T, Shao Q, Yan D, Ma L, Lu K, Xie Y. · 2013

Researchers exposed 18 people to LTE (4G cellular) radiation for 30 minutes near their right ear, then used brain scans to measure changes in spontaneous brain activity. They found decreased activity in multiple brain regions, including areas responsible for hearing, movement control, and decision-making. This suggests that even brief exposure to modern wireless signals can alter how the brain functions at rest.

Stimulation of the brain with radiofrequency electromagnetic field pulses affects sleep-dependent performance improvement.

Lustenberger C et al. · 2013

Swiss researchers exposed 16 men to pulsed radiofrequency radiation (similar to cell phone signals) throughout entire nights of sleep and measured their brain activity and learning ability. They found that RF exposure altered brain wave patterns during sleep and reduced the participants' ability to improve on a motor skill task by 20% compared to nights without exposure. This suggests that RF radiation can interfere with the brain's natural sleep processes that are essential for learning and memory consolidation.

Effects of low amplitude pulsed radiofrequency stimulation with different waveform in rats for neuropathic pain.

Lin WT, Chang CH, Cheng CY, Chen MC, Wen YR, Lin CT, Lin CW. · 2013

Researchers tested how different types of pulsed radiofrequency (RF) signals affect pain relief in rats with nerve damage. They found that sinusoidal (smooth wave) RF signals provided better pain relief than square wave signals when applied to nerve clusters at the spine. The study also measured inflammatory markers in spinal tissue to understand how RF treatment reduces pain responses.

Auditory Brainstem Responses and EMFs Generated by Mobile Phones.

Khullar S1, Sood A2, Sood S3. · 2013

Researchers studied how mobile phone use affects the auditory brainstem response (ABR), which measures how well nerve signals travel from the ear to the brain. They found that people who used phones for 30 minutes daily over 10 years showed significantly delayed nerve transmission compared to non-users, while 5-year users showed no effects. This suggests prolonged mobile phone exposure may impair the peripheral auditory pathway that processes sound.

The Effects of Prenatal Exposure to a 900 Megahertz Electromagnetic Field on Hippocampus Morphology and Learning Behavior in Rat Pups.

İkinci A et al. · 2013

Researchers exposed pregnant rats to 900 MHz electromagnetic fields (the same frequency used by many cell phones) for one hour daily during late pregnancy. The female offspring showed significant learning and memory problems in maze tests, plus visible damage to the hippocampus, the brain region crucial for learning and memory. This suggests that EMF exposure during pregnancy may harm developing brains in ways that persist after birth.

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