TY - JOUR
T1 - Mobile phone emission modulates event-related desynchronization of alpha rhythms and cognitive-motor performance in healthy humans
AU - Vecchio, Fabrizio
AU - Buffo, Paola
AU - Sergio, Silvia
AU - Iacoviello, Daniela
AU - Rossini, Paolo Maria
AU - Babiloni, Claudio
PY - 2012/1
Y1 - 2012/1
N2 - Objectives: It has been shown that electromagnetic fields of Global System for Mobile Communications phone (GSM-EMFs) affect human brain rhythms (Vecchio et al., 2007, 2010), but it is not yet clear whether these effects are related to alterations of cognitive functions. Methods: Eleven healthy adults underwent two electroencephalographic (EEG) sessions separated by 1 week, following a cross-over, placebo-controlled, double-blind paradigm. In both sessions, they performed a visual go/no-go task before real exposure to GSM-EMFs or after a sham condition with no EMF exposure. In the GSM real session, temporal cortex was continuously exposed to GSM-EMFs for 45. min. In the sham session, the subjects were not aware that the EMFs had been switched off for the duration of the experiment. In the go/no-go task, a central fixation stimulus was followed by a green (50% of probability) or red visual stimulus. Subjects had to press the mouse button after the green stimuli (go trials). With reference to a baseline period, power decrease of low- (about 8-10. Hz) and high-frequency (about 10-12. Hz) alpha rhythms indexed the cortical activity. Results: It was found less power decrease of widely distributed high-frequency alpha rhythms and faster reaction time to go stimuli in the post- than pre-exposure period of the GSM session. No effect was found in the sham session. Conclusions: These results suggest that the peak amplitude of alpha ERD and the reaction time to the go stimuli are modulated by the effect of the GSM-EMFs on the cortical activity. Significance: Exposure to GSM-EMFs for 45. min may enhance human cortical neural efficiency and simple cognitive-motor processes in healthy adults.
AB - Objectives: It has been shown that electromagnetic fields of Global System for Mobile Communications phone (GSM-EMFs) affect human brain rhythms (Vecchio et al., 2007, 2010), but it is not yet clear whether these effects are related to alterations of cognitive functions. Methods: Eleven healthy adults underwent two electroencephalographic (EEG) sessions separated by 1 week, following a cross-over, placebo-controlled, double-blind paradigm. In both sessions, they performed a visual go/no-go task before real exposure to GSM-EMFs or after a sham condition with no EMF exposure. In the GSM real session, temporal cortex was continuously exposed to GSM-EMFs for 45. min. In the sham session, the subjects were not aware that the EMFs had been switched off for the duration of the experiment. In the go/no-go task, a central fixation stimulus was followed by a green (50% of probability) or red visual stimulus. Subjects had to press the mouse button after the green stimuli (go trials). With reference to a baseline period, power decrease of low- (about 8-10. Hz) and high-frequency (about 10-12. Hz) alpha rhythms indexed the cortical activity. Results: It was found less power decrease of widely distributed high-frequency alpha rhythms and faster reaction time to go stimuli in the post- than pre-exposure period of the GSM session. No effect was found in the sham session. Conclusions: These results suggest that the peak amplitude of alpha ERD and the reaction time to the go stimuli are modulated by the effect of the GSM-EMFs on the cortical activity. Significance: Exposure to GSM-EMFs for 45. min may enhance human cortical neural efficiency and simple cognitive-motor processes in healthy adults.
KW - Alpha band
KW - EEG
KW - Event-related desynchronization (ERD)
KW - Go/no-go task
KW - Mobile phone emission
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U2 - 10.1016/j.clinph.2011.06.019
DO - 10.1016/j.clinph.2011.06.019
M3 - Article
C2 - 21873111
AN - SCOPUS:84655163464
VL - 123
SP - 121
EP - 128
JO - Clinical Neurophysiology
JF - Clinical Neurophysiology
SN - 1388-2457
IS - 1
ER -