6,486 Studies Reviewed. 85.2% of Original Studies Found Biological Effects. The Evidence is Clear.

EMF Research Studies

Browse 6,486 peer-reviewed studies on electromagnetic field health effects from 4 research libraries.

Filter Studies

Clear all filters

Showing 2,030 studies in Brain & Nervous System

EFFECTS OF FREQUENCY, IRRADIATION GEOMETRY AND POLARISATION ON COMPUTATION OF SAR IN HUMAN BRAIN.

Zhou H et al. · 2014

Researchers used the finite-difference time-domain method to compute the specific absorption rate (SAR) of radio frequency (RF) waves in the human brain and to investigate the effects of geometry and polarisation on SAR value. The results suggested that high SAR values were found in the brain at approximately 250 MHz for vertical polarisation and 900-1200 MHz for both vertical and horizontal polarisation, which may be the result of head resonance at these frequencies.

Mobile phones, non-ionizing radiofrequency fieldsand brain cancer: is there an adaptive response?

Vijayalaxmi, Prihoda TJ. · 2014

The study aimed to investigate whether mobile phone radiofrequency fields and brain cancer show an adaptive response. The authors re-examined all odds ratios from the INTERPHONE study published in 2011. Their analysis showed 24.3% decreased and 0.7% increased risk for meningioma and 22.1% decreased and 6.6% increased risk for glioma. They hypothesized that the overwhelming evidence for decreased risk may be due to induction of an adaptive response.

Influence of pregnancy stage and fetus position on the whole-body and local exposure of the fetus to RF-EMF.

Varsier N et al. · 2014

Researchers analyzed the influence of pregnancy stage and fetus position on whole-body and brain exposure of the fetus to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields at 2100 MHz. They used semi-homogeneous pregnant woman models between 8 and 32 weeks of amenorrhea. Whole-body and average brain exposures decreased during the first trimester. From the beginning of the second trimester, whole-body and average brain exposures were quite stable. A fetal head-up position produced slightly higher brain exposure than a head-down position, while whole-body exposures were similar.

Lack of interaction between concurrent caffeine and mobile phone exposure on visual target detection: An ERP study.

Trunk A et al. · 2014

Researchers recorded EEG and event-related potentials in an oddball paradigm during four sessions combining caffeine and UMTS mobile phone exposure. Caffeine significantly shortened reaction time and decreased the P300 area under the curve compared to control or mobile phone exposure alone. No effects on reaction time or P300 were observed for UMTS mobile phone exposure alone or combined with caffeine. The authors concluded no interactive or synergistic effects of caffeine and UMTS mobile phone exposure on neural or cognitive measures.

Odor and Noise Intolerance in Persons with Self-Reported Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity.

Nordin S, Neely G, Olsson D, Sandström M · 2014

This study assessed differences in odor and noise intolerance between persons with EHS and healthy controls using the Chemical Sensitivity Scale and Noise Sensitivity Scale. The EHS group scored significantly higher than controls on all CSS and NSS scales. Correlation coefficients between CSS and NSS scores ranged from 0.60 to 0.65 across measures. The findings suggest an association between EHS and odor and noise intolerance.

Cell and cordless phone risk for glioma - Analysis of pooled case-control studies in Sweden, 1997-2003 and 2007-2009

Hardell L, Carlberg M, · 2014

In total, 1498 cases (89% participation) and 3530 controls (87% participation) were included. Mobile phone use increased glioma risk with an overall odds ratio of 1.3 (95% CI 1.1–1.6), rising to 3.0 (95% CI 1.7–5.2) for latency over 25 years. Cordless phone use increased glioma risk with an overall odds ratio of 1.4 (95% CI 1.1–1.7), with highest risk in the >15–20 years latency group (OR 1.7, 95% CI 1.1–2.5). Ipsilateral mobile phone use had an odds ratio of 1.8 (95% CI 1.4–2.2) and ipsilateral cordless phone use had an odds ratio of 1.7 (95% CI 1.3–2.1). The highest risk was for glioma in the temporal lobe, and first use before age 20 gave higher odds ratios than later first use.

Analysis of the influence of handset phone position on RF exposure of brain tissue.

Ghanmi A, Varsier N, Hadjem A, Conil E, Picon O, Wiart J. · 2014

Researchers analyzed how phone position affects brain exposure by comparing SAR from two GSM phone models. They tested 80 phone positions selected via Latin hypercube sampling. They estimated SAR10g in the head, SAR1g in the brain, and SAR in brain structures at 900 and 1800 MHz. Results show SAR distributions in the brain are sensitive to phone position. For 5–10% of positions, SAR10g in head and SAR1g in brain were 20% higher than the standard cheek position, and the SAM model was conservative for 95% of positions.

Electromagnetic fields and EEG spiking rate in patients with focal epilepsy.

Curcio G, Mazzucchi E, Marca GD, Vollono C, Rossini PM. · 2014

Researchers recorded EEG activity from 12 patients with focal epilepsy under real and sham exposure using a double-blind, crossover, counterbalanced design. Spiking activity tended to be lower during real exposure than during sham exposure. Gamma band power increased significantly during real exposure, mainly in parieto-occipital and temporal areas. Interhemispheric instantaneous coherence in the beta band increased from left temporal to right frontal regions during real exposure relative to baseline. No significant change in lagged coherence was observed.

Decreased Survival of Glioma Patients with Astrocytoma Grade IV (Glioblastoma Multiforme) Associated with Long-Term Use of Mobile and Cordless Phones.

Carlberg M, Hardell L. · 2014

Researchers analyzed survival of 1678 glioma patients from the 1997-2003 and 2007-2009 case-control studies. Wireless phone use with more than 20 years latency showed an increased hazard ratio of 1.7 for glioma overall. For glioblastoma multiforme, mobile phone use had a hazard ratio of 2.0 and cordless phone use a hazard ratio of 3.4 in the same latency category.

Connection between Cell Phone use, p53 Gene Expression in Different Zones of Glioblastoma Multiforme and Survival Prognoses.

Akhavan-Sigari R, Baf MM, Ariabod V, Rohde V, Rahighi S. · 2014

Researchers studied sixty-three glioblastoma patients who underwent tumor resection between 2008 and 2011. They measured p53 gene expression in central and peripheral tumor zones using RT-PCR. Among patients using cell phones three or more hours daily, 65% showed higher mutant p53 expression in the peripheral zone, a statistically significant increase. This increased mutant p53 expression was significantly correlated with shorter overall survival. The risk was not higher for ipsilateral exposure.

Impact of head morphology on local brain specific absorption rate from exposure to mobile phone radiation.

Adibzadeh F et al. · 2014

Researchers performed detailed dosimetric simulations for 20 head models to quantify how head morphology affects RF dose in different brain regions. The variation in averaged SAR among heads reached up to 16.4 dB in a 1 cm³ brain cube using the field-sensor method and up to 15.8 dB in the medulla using the Talairach method. Head models were exposed to generic mobile phone fields at 835 and 1900 MHz in tilted and cheek positions. The authors concluded that head morphology is an important uncertainty source and that dosimetric analyses for specific brain regions should use real morphology.

TXT Me I'm Only Sleeping: Adolescents With Mobile Phones in Their Bedroom.

Adachi-Mejia AM et al. · 2014

The study aimed to determine if mobile phones interfere with adolescent sleep, and researchers conducted a pilot test in a pediatric primary care practice with 454 patients aged 12 to 20 years, half female, attending a well-child visit. Adolescents completed paper-and-pencil surveys in the waiting room. More than half took their mobile phone to bed (62.9%) and kept it turned on while sleeping (56.8%). More than one-third texted after going to bed (36.7%), and 7.9% were awakened by a text two or more times per week. Almost half used their phone as their alarm (45.7%).

Extremely low-frequency magnetic field exposure, electrical shocks and risk of Parkinson's disease.

van der Mark M et al. · 2014

Researchers conducted a hospital-based case-control study with 444 Parkinson's disease patients and 876 age- and sex-matched controls. Occupational histories were collected via telephone interviews and linked to job-exposure matrices for extremely low-frequency magnetic fields and electrical shocks. No association was observed between Parkinson's disease risk and any of the evaluated electricity-related exposures, although reduced risk estimates appeared consistently across most exposure categories. The authors concluded that the reduced risk estimates are unlikely to represent a true protective effect.

Effect of exposure and withdrawal of 900-MHz-electromagnetic waves on brain, kidney and liver oxidative stress and some biochemical parameters in male rats.

Ragy MM. · 2014

Researchers exposed male rats to 900-MHz electromagnetic radiation for one hour daily over 60 days, with a withdrawal group that had a 30-day recovery period. Exposure significantly increased malondialdehyde levels and decreased total antioxidant capacity in brain, liver, and kidney tissues. Serum levels of alanine transaminase, aspartate aminotransferase, urea, creatinine, and corticosterone were significantly increased, while catecholamines were not significantly changed. All these alterations were corrected after the withdrawal period.

Effects of extremely low-frequency magnetic fields on the response of a conductance-based neuron model.

Yi G, Wang J, Wei X, Deng B, Tsang KM, Chan WL, Han C. · 2014

The study used a conductance-based neuron model with ELF sinusoidal magnetic field as an additive voltage input. Neurons with distinct spiking patterns showed different response properties to magnetic field exposure. For tonic spiking neurons, perturbations were maximized at harmonics of intrinsic spiking frequency, while for burst spiking neurons they were maximized at harmonics of bursting frequency. Perturbations increased with magnetic field intensity, and bursting dynamics were less sensitive than tonic spiking to ELF magnetic field exposure. ELF magnetic field exposure was more likely to perturb spike times than spiking frequency.

Sleep quality and general health status of employees exposed to extremely low frequency magnetic fields in a petrochemical complex.

Monazzam MR et al. · 2014

Researchers measured magnetic flux density in a control building and two substations according to IEEE standard 644-1994. They used the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and General Health Quality questionnaires to assess sleep quality and public health in 40 workers. In the case group, 28% had poor health status and 61% had a sleep disorder, while all control group members were in good health and only 4.5% had undesirable sleep quality. A significant difference existed between groups in sleep quality and general health, but no significant relationship was found between exposure level and these outcomes. Measured EMF values were below ACGIH limits, and the authors recommended further epidemiological studies and periodic testing.

Autophagy is modulated in human neuroblastoma cells through direct exposition to low frequency electromagnetic fields.

Marchesi N et al. · 2014

Researchers investigated the effect of low-frequency electromagnetic fields on autophagy modulation in human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells. Low-frequency EMF significantly reduced microRNA-30a expression and increased Beclin1 transcript and protein. Repeated low-frequency EMF treatments were tested against amyloid-beta peptide effects in vitro. The study demonstrates for the first time that specific low-frequency EMF treatments can modulate a microRNA sequence affecting autophagy via Beclin1.

Melatonin protects rat cerebellar granule cells against electromagnetic field-induced increases in Na+ currents through intracellular Ca2+ release.

Liu DD, Ren Z, Yang G, Zhao QR, Mei YA. · 2014

Researchers exposed rat cerebellar granule cells to extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields for 60 minutes and measured sodium channel currents. ELF-EMF exposure significantly increased Nav current densities by 62.5 percent. Melatonin at 5 μM inhibited this ELF-EMF-induced increase in sodium currents. The protective effect of melatonin involved MT2 receptors and calcium release triggered by calcium influx.

Epigenetic Modulation of Adult Hippocampal Neurogenesis by Extremely Low-Frequency Electromagnetic Fields

Leone L et al. · 2014

The study used an in vitro model of hippocampal neural stem cells from newborn mice to examine effects of extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields. ELFEFs enhanced proliferation and neuronal differentiation of these neural stem cells through epigenetic regulation. Exposure increased expression of the pro-proliferative gene Hes1 and neuronal determination genes NeuroD1 and Neurogenin1. These changes were preceded by increased H3K9 acetylation and phosphorylated CREB binding to gene regulatory sequences. The epigenetic modifications were blocked by the Cav1-channel blocker nifedipine and linked to increased CBP occupancy at promoter loci.

Sensory transduction of weak electromagnetic fields: role of glutamate neurotransmission mediated by NMDA receptors.

Frilot C 2nd, Carrubba S, Marino AA. · 2014

EEPs and auditory evoked potentials were detected in awake rats and under xylazine anesthesia but not under ketamine anesthesia. The duration and latency of EEPs were unchanged by xylazine anesthesia. The authors concluded that EMF transduction likely involves NMDA receptor-mediated glutamate neurotransmission.

Stimulation of neural differentiation in human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells by extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields incorporated with MNPs.

Choi YK, Lee DH, Seo YK, Jung H, Park JK, Cho H. · 2014

Researchers used PEG-phospholipid encapsulated magnetite nanoparticles on human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells to improve intracellular uptake. Cell viability and intracellular iron content were measured after nanoparticle treatment. RT-PCR and immunohistological analysis with neural cell type-specific genes and antibodies were performed after electromagnetic field exposure. The results suggested that electromagnetic fields enhance neural differentiation in these cells and would be an effective method for differentiating neural cells.

Association between mobile phone use and inattention in 7102 Chinese adolescents: a population-based cross-sectional study.

Zheng F et al. · 2014

A total of 7720 middle school students were involved in this cross-sectional study and 7102 valid questionnaires were obtained. Inattention was assessed using DSM-IV-TR criteria for the attention deficit component of ADHD. After adjusting for confounders, inattention was significantly associated with MP ownership, entertainment time on MP per day, MP position during the day, and MP mode at night. The strongest association was among students who spent more than 60 minutes per day playing on their MP.

Mobile usage and sleep patterns among medical students.

Yogesh S, Abha S, Priyanka S. · 2014

The study enrolled 100 medical students divided into cases with more than two hours of daily mobile phone use (n=57) and controls with two hours or less (n=43), and assessed sleep quality using the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index. Differences between groups were tested with the Mann-Whitney U test and Student's t-test, and correlations were analyzed using Spearman's rank correlation with significance set at p<0.05. Evening mobile phone use showed a significant negative association with sleep quality (r=-0.606, p=0.042), where higher PSQI scores indicate worse sleep.

Browse by Health Effect