Effects of electromagnetic fields emitted by cellular phones on the electroencephalogram during a visual working memory task

Purpose: To examine the effects of electromagnetic fields (EMF) emitted by cellular phones on the event-related desynchronization/synchronization (ERD/ERS) responses of the 4-6, 6-8, 8-10 and 10-12 Hz EEG frequency bands during cognitive processing.Materials and methods: Twenty-four subjects performed a Visual sequential letter task (n-back task) with three different working memory load conditions: zero, one and two items. AU subjects performed the memory task both with and without exposure to a digital 902 MHz EMF in counterbalanced order.Results: The presence of EMF altered the ERD/ERS responses in the 6-8 and 8-10 Hz frequency bands but only when examined as a function of memory load and depending also on whether the presented stimulus was a target or not.Conclusions: The results suggest that the exposure to EMF modulates the responses of EEG oscillatory activity similar to8 Hz specifically during cognitive processes.