Effects of radiofrequency radiation emitted by cellular telephones on the cognitive functions of humans

The present study examined the effects of exposure to Electromagnetic Radiation emitted by a standard GSM phone at 890 MHz on human cognitive functions. This study attempted to establish a connection between the exposure of a specific area of the brain and the cognitive functions associated withthatarea.Atotalof36healthyright-handedmalesubjectsperformedfourdistinctcognitivetasks: spatial item recognition, verbal item recognition, and two spatial compatibility tasks. Tasks were chosenaccordingtothebrainsidetheyareassumedtoactivate.Allsubjectsperformedthetasksunder three exposure conditions: right side, left side, and sham exposure. The phones were controlled by a base station simulator and operated at their full power. We have recorded the reaction times (RTs) and accuracyoftheresponses.Theexperimentsconsistedoftwosections,of1heach,witha5minbreakin between. The tasks and the exposure regimes were counterbalanced. The results indicated that the exposure of the left side of the brain slows down the left-hand response time, in the second—later— partoftheexperiment.Thiseffectwasapparentinthreeofthefourtasks,andwashighlysignificantin only one of the tests. The exposure intensity and its duration exceeded the common exposure of cellular phone users. Bioelectromagnetics 27:119‐126, 2006. � 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.