Medical/biological study (experimental study)

Preattentive auditory information processing under exposure to the 902 MHz GSM mobile phone electromagnetic field: a mismatch negativity (MMN) study med./bio.

By: Kwon MS, Kujala T, Huotilainen M, Shestakova A, Naatanen R, Hämäläinen H

Published in: Bioelectromagnetics 2009; 30 (3): 241-248

Aim of study (acc. to author)

To study the short-term effects of the GSM mobile phone electromagnetic fields on the mismatch negativity and associated brain processing.

Background/further details

The mismatch negativity is a sensitive indicator of pre-attentive auditory discrimination processing.
Mismatch negativity was elicited using a multifeature paradigm where four deviant types (duration, intensity, frequency, having a gap in the middle of a tone) appeared in a sequence of identical stimuli. 17 healthy volunteers (12 female) were investigated. Participants were watching a movie without sound and they were instructed not to pay attention to the auditory stimuli.

Endpoint

effects on the neurological system: mismatch negativity

Exposure

- mobile communications
- digital mobile phone
- GSM

Exposure	Parameters
Exposure 1: 902 MHz Modulation type: pulsed Exposure duration: 1 h in 6 minute blocks	SAR: 1.14 W/kg SAR: 0.82 W/kg SAR: 1.21 W/kg peak value

Exposure 1

Main characteristics

Frequency	902 MHz
Type	electromagnetic field
Exposure duration	1 h in 6 minute blocks

Modulation

Modulation type	pulsed
Pulse width	0.58 µs
Repetition frequency	217 Hz

Exposure setup

Exposure source	cellular phone
Setup	earplug-shaped earphones inserted in both ears; GSM phone attached to a headset placed on either ear in normal phoning position

Parameters

Measurand	Value	Type	Method	Mass	Remarks
SAR	1.14 W/kg	-	measured	1 g	-
SAR	0.82 W/kg	-	measured	10 g	-
SAR	1.21 W/kg	peak value	measured	-	-

Reference articles

Kwon MS et al. (2008): Perception of the electromagnetic field emitted by a mobile phone
Hamblin DL et al. (2006): The sensitivity of human event-related potentials and reaction time to mobile phone emitted electromagnetic fields

Exposed system:

human
partial body: left/right ear

Methods Endpoint/measurement parameters/methodology

effects on the neurological system: mismatch negativity by EEG: mean amplitude, peak amplitude, peak latency of the most neagtive peaks in the grand-average waveforms at 100-250 ms from stimulus onset

Investigated system:

investigation on living organism

Investigated organ system:

brain/CNS

Time of investigation:

during exposure

Main outcome of study (acc. to author)

The mismatch negativity latency and amplitude showed no significant differences due to electromagnetic field exposure on either side.
No evidence was found that acute exposure to GSM mobile phone electromagnetic fields affects cortical auditory change detection processing reflected by the mismatch negativity. Pre-attentive change detection might not be affected by electromagnetic field exposure.

Study character:

medical/biological study
experimental study
full/main study

Study funded by

Academy of Finland
Tekes (National Technology Agency), Finland

Kwon MS et al. (2010): No effects of mobile phone use on cortical auditory change-detection in children: an ERP study
de Tommaso M et al. (2009): Mobile phones exposure induces changes of contingent negative variation in humans
Haarala C et al. (2007): Pulsed and continuous wave mobile phone exposure over left versus right hemisphere: effects on human cognitive function
Krause CM et al. (2007): Effects of pulsed and continuous wave 902 MHz mobile phone exposure on brain oscillatory activity during cognitive processing
Parazzini M et al. (2007): Modeling of the internal fields distribution in human inner hearing system exposed to 900 and 1800 MHz
Krause CM et al. (2006): Mobile phone effects on children's event-related oscillatory EEG during an auditory memory task
Maby E et al. (2006): Scalp localization of human auditory cortical activity modified by GSM electromagnetic fields
Krause CM et al. (2004): Effects of electromagnetic field emitted by cellular phones on the EEG during an auditory memory task: a double blind replication study
Hamblin DL et al. (2004): Examining the effects of electromagnetic fields emitted by GSM mobile phones on human event-related potentials and performance during an auditory task
Arai N et al. (2003): Thirty minutes mobile phone use has no short-term adverse effects on central auditory pathways