Effects of Cell-Phone Radiation on the Electroencephalographic Spectra of Epileptic Patients [Telecommunications Health & Safety

Abstract

Considerable concern has been expressed about the possible health risks of mobile-phone use. The brain has greater exposure to mobile-phone radiation (MPR) than the rest of the body, and there are experimental findings suggesting that electromagnetic fields may modulate the activity of neural networks. The tendency towards electrical instability of the neural networks of epileptics suggests that these persons may be especially sensitive to electromagnetic radiation. In this study, we determined the effects of mobile-phone radiation on the electroencephalographic (EGG) spectra of nine epileptic patients undergoing routine video-EEG monitoring. For each of nine scalp areas and four wavebands (alpha, beta, gamma, and delta), three spectral features were extracted from EEG segments recorded before, during, and after 20 minutes of continuous exposure to mobile-phone radiation. Statistical analyses showed associations between mobile-phone radiation and increased EEG activity in the alpha, beta, and gamma wavebands. The increase in alpha-wave power was similar to that reported for non-epileptic individuals. The increase in beta-and gamma-wave power may be related to epileptic alterations.