EEG Changes Due to Experimentally Induced 3G Mobile Phone Radiation

EEG Changes Due to Experimentally Induced 3G Mobile Phone Radiation

Roggeveen S, van Os J, Viechtbauer W, Lousberg R (2015) EEG Changes Due to Experimentally Induced 3G Mobile Phone Radiation. PLoS ONE 10(6): e0129496. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0129496.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate whether a 15-minute placement of a 3G dialing mobile phone causes direct changes in EEG activity compared to the placement of a sham phone. Furthermore, it was investigated whether placement of the mobile phone on the ear or the heart would result in different outcomes. 

Thirty-one healthy females participated. All subjects were measured twice: on one of the two days the mobile phone was attached to the ear, the other day to the chest. In this single-blind, cross-over design, assessments in the sham phone condition were conducted directly preceding and following the mobile phone exposure. During each assessment, EEG activity and radiofrequency radiation were recorded jointly. Delta, theta, alpha, slowbeta, fastbeta, and gamma activity was computed. The association between radiation exposure and the EEG was tested using multilevel random regression analyses with radiation as predictor of main interest. 

Significant radiation effects were found for the alpha, slowbeta, fastbeta, and gamma bands. When analyzed separately, ear location of the phone was associated with significant results, while chest placement was not. 

The results support the notion that EEG alterations are associated with mobile phone usage and that the effect is dependent on site of placement. Further studies are required to demonstrate the physiological relevance of these findings.

Open Access Paper: http://bit.ly/1GnlGfq

Excerpts

• A 3G smartphone was used. During exposure conditions, the phone was dialled from a fixed line in another room. No sound was exchanged (mute settings), and vibration mode was off, in order to ensure that the participant could not identify the dialling condition.
• The SAR level of the phone was reported as 0.69 W/kg (head) in the manual.
• The sham phone was a non-functioning replica of the same weight and the same characteristics as the functioning smartphone. The sham phone contained the same type of battery as the real phone and care was taken that the battery was inactive in the sham condition. In a pilot study before the start of the actual experiment, no evidence was found that participants could detect differences between the actual mobile phone and the sham phone. As a check, subjects were asked whether they noticed any differences between phone placements after each session in the experiment.

The question is whether the (temporary) EEG changes, induced by mobile phone radiation, have clinical/adverse consequences. Answering this question is complex and beyond the scope of the present manuscript. First, it is unknown whether mobile phones change EEG activity in the long term. Second, EEG is a reflection of very complex cerebral processes. It is thought that the activity in the different frequency bands represents underlying cortical functions. An example is the thalamocortical network, which plays an important role in the generation of alpha activity [34]. Beta activity, however, only plays a role in the cortex and can, for example, be related to active concentration [35]. Since the functional role of the different frequency bands is still not fully understood, it is also hard to draw conclusions on the (clinical) implications of EEG changes.

In future studies other indicators of brain activity may be included. For example, transcranial magnetic stimulation is a method to test brain excitability. There are several indications that brain excitability is modified due to mobile phone radiation [36–38].

This study attempted to approach the question whether or not mobile phones cause (short-term) changes in EEG activity. There was evidence that mobile phone radiation is associated with increased activity of the alpha, beta, and gamma frequency bands in nearly every brain region. The distance of the mobile phone to the brain was relevant, a larger distance resulting in less or no EEG interference. Replication of the present findings and investigation of possible long term (clinically relevant) effects is urgently required.

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Joel M. Moskowitz, Ph.D., Director
Center for Family and Community Health
School of Public Health
University of California, Berkeley

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