The Alpha Band of the Resting Electroencephalogram Under Pulsed and Continuous Radio Frequency Exposures

The effect of GSM-like electromagnetic fields with the resting electroencephalogram (EEG) alpha band activity was investigated in a double-blind cross-over experimental paradigm, testing the hypothesis that pulsed but not continuous radio frequency (RF) exposure would affect alpha activity, and the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:IEEE transactions on biomedical engineering 2013-06, Vol.60 (6), p.1702-1710
Main Authors: Perentos, N., Croft, R. J., McKenzie, R. J., Cosic, I.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Alpha Rhythm - radiation effects
Brain
continuous
Educational institutions
electroencephalogram (EEG)
Electroencephalography
Electroencephalography - methods
Electromagnetic Fields
electromagnetic radiation effects
Female
Geophysical measurement techniques
Ground penetrating radar
GSM
Humans
low-level exposure
Male
pulsed
Radio frequency
radio frequency (RF)
Radio Waves
SAR
Telephone sets
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Summary:The effect of GSM-like electromagnetic fields with the resting electroencephalogram (EEG) alpha band activity was investigated in a double-blind cross-over experimental paradigm, testing the hypothesis that pulsed but not continuous radio frequency (RF) exposure would affect alpha activity, and the hypothesis that GSM-like pulsed low frequency fields would affect alpha. Seventy-two healthy volunteers attended a single recording session where the eyes open resting EEG activity was recorded. Four exposure intervals were presented (sham, pulsed modulated RF, continuous RF, and pulsed low frequency) in a counterbalanced order where each exposure lasted for 20 min. Compared to sham, a suppression of the global alpha band activity was observed under the pulsed modulated RF exposure, and this did not differ from the continuous RF exposure. No effect was seen in the extremely low frequency condition. That there was an effect of pulsed RF that did not differ significantly from continuous RF exposure does not support the hypothesis that "pulsed" RF is required to produce EEG effects. The results support the view that alpha is altered by RF electromagnetic fields, but suggest that the pulsing nature of the fields is not essential for this effect to occur.
ISSN:0018-9294
1558-2531
DOI:10.1109/TBME.2013.2241059