Mobile phone exposure and spatial memory

Abstract

Radiofrequency (RF) emission during mobile phone use has been suggested to impair cognitive functions, that is, working memory. This study investigated the effects of a 2 1/2 h RF exposure (884 MHz) on spatial memory and learning, using a double-blind repeated measures design. The exposure was designed to mimic that experienced during a real-life mobile phone conversation. The design maximized the exposure to the left hemisphere. The average exposure was peak spatial specific absorption rate (psSAR10g) of 1.4 W/kg. The primary outcome measure was a "virtual" spatial navigation task modeled after the commonly used and validated Morris Water Maze. The distance traveled on each trial and the amount of improvement across trials (i.e., learning) were used as dependent variables. The participants were daily mobile phone users, with and without symptoms attributed to regular mobile phone use. Results revealed a main effect of RF exposure and a significant RF exposure by group effect on distance traveled during the trials. The symptomatic group improved their performance during RF exposure while there was no such effect in the non-symptomatic group. Until this new finding is further investigated, we can only speculate about the cause.

Sleep after mobile phone exposure in subjects with mobile phone‐related symptoms

“…Also, evaluations of sleepiness before sleep were collected. Cognitive measures have been reported elsewhere [Wiholm et al, 2009].…”

The Effects of Acute Mobile Phone Radiation on the Anxiety Level of Male Rats

“…Sienkiewicz studied the effect of an electromagnetic field at 900 MHz on spatial learning in rats using an eight-armed radial maze and found that placing the rats in this field for 45 minutes each day for 10 consecutive days had no effects on their memories (20). However, at these frequency bands, cell phone waves affect human memory (21,22) and some of the studies have used water and radial mazes at a frequency of 2 450 MHz (7,8,23). Lai et al (7) studied the effect of 45 minutes of irradiation with 2 450 MHz of electromagnetic waves for 10 days on rats' memory using a 12-armed radial maze and found that the radiation affected memory in the hippocampal region of the brain.…”

Effect of high-frequency radiations on survival of the honeybee (Apis mellifera L.)

“…Numerous studies are devoted to depicting the relationship between radio waves and alterations of biological and behavioural functions or their ecological effects (for review, see Cucurachi et al 2013). Although a direct relationship has not been established between radio wave exposure and health problems (Krewski et al 2007;Vanderstraetan and Verschaeve 2008), behavioural and spatial memory disorders in humans (D'Andrea et al 2003;Wiholm et al 2009) and orientation disorders in honeybees and birds (Warnke 2007) have been suspected and a negative effect of radio waves on the in-hive behaviour and homing flight of honeybees has been reported (Harst et al 2006;Kimmel et al 2007). Cell phone radiations were suspected of affecting the reproductive capacity of Drosophila (Panagopoulos et al 2004) and the egg laying rate of the honeybees' queen (Sharma and Kumar 2010) and inducing the worker piping signal in the hive (Favre 2011).…”