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Mobile Phone and Electromagnetic Field Exposure and the Brain: Current Knowledge and Research Gaps
IOP 2016
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is characterized by lesions of myelin, which result in a broad range of symptoms including motor, cognitive and psychiatric disorders. More recently, emotional dysfunctions have been reported as clinical signs appearing in early steps of the disease. Considering the adaptive value of emotional coding in social exchanges, several authors tried to better understand the role of emotion in MS behaviors and their potential impact in the well-being of patients. Some studies tried on one hand to disentangle emotional components from cognitive, sensory or motor impairments and on the other hand to identify and to characterize mechanisms subtending emotional reactivity in MS. In this presentation we aimed, firstly to review data from the literature related to the exploration of emotional facets in MS and, secondly, to investigate the ability of patients with Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (RRMS) to recognize emotional facial expressions (EFE). To this end, cognitive, affective and executive functions were assessed in fifteen RRMS patients and in fifteen controls, matched for age, sex, educational level and laterality. Behavioral (emotional categorization, reaction time and emotional intensity evaluation) and brain reactivity (P100 and N170 evoked components) were recorded in both groups during a task testing the recognition of fifteen morphs of emotional (anger, joy; low and high intensities) and neutral facial expressions. Results showed that, compared to controls, RRMS presented a deficit to categorize low intensities of anger expressions. Moreover, patients manifested a significant difficulty to estimate the intensity of anger and joy facial expressions. RRMS patients also showed a significant decrease of the P100 amplitude and an increase of the latency of the N170 to the presentation of EFE. Reported data seem to indicate a difficulty to RRMS patients to discriminate the emotional value of EFE; in addition, the related cerebral coding appears to engage fewer and slowed resources when compared with healthy participants. Thus, obtained data sustain the existence of a difficulty to integrate emotional facial information in RRMS patients. Overall, this study encourages the exploration of such deficit in order to optimize the emotional regulation, a main factor of quality of life in MS patients.
doi:10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2016.07.200
50 Symposium B7 Mobile Phone and Electromagnetic Field Exposure and the Brain: Current Knowledge and Research Gaps Sarah Loughran (Australia) Telecommunications technologies, such as mobile phones, have developed rapidly and their use is now ubiquitous. This widespread and rapid increase in use has led to considerable concern regarding potential impacts that exposure to the radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) and extremely low frequency magnetic fields (ELF-MF) emitted by these devices may have on human health. Of particular concern is the brain and brain function, as a substantial portion of the EMF is absorbed by the human head during normal use. Although a range of endpoints have been investigated and some reported to be affected by RF-EMF exposure, the vast majority of these have not withstood the test of replication (van Rongen et al., 2009). Conversely, subtle RF-EMF-induced changes to neural function, as measured by the electroencephalograph (EEG), have been reliably demonstrated with effects consistently seen on alpha activity during wake, and alpha and sleep spindle frequencies during sleep (Borbely et al., 1999; Croft et al.,
61
2008; Croft et al., 2010; Huber et al., 2003; Loughran et al., 2012; Loughran et al., 2005; Regel et al., 2007; Schmid et al., 2012a; Schmid et al., 2012b). These effects have been replicated in independent laboratories, and have also been shown to be dose-dependent (Regel et al., 2007) and sensitive to individual differences (Loughran et al., 2012). Reacting to this, the World Health Organisation (WHO, 2010) identified as ‘high priority’, research questions that it argued needed to be addressed in order to clarify the relative impact of RF-EMF on human health. Specifically, it called for research to determine the neurobiological mechanisms underlying RF-induced effect on the EEG, to better understand both the mechanisms responsible for this effect as well as the neural processes themselves. This symposium will address the current state of knowledge and research gaps regarding RF-EMF and ELF-MF exposures and four measures of neural function: 1/ Sleep and the sleep EEG; 2/ Resting EEG; 3/ Event-related potentials; and 4/ Acute visual perceptions (magnetophosphenes).
doi:10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2016.07.201
488 Mobile Phone Emissions and the Sleeping Brain Sarah Loughran Australian Centre for Electromagnetic Bioeffects Research, Wollongong, Australia University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia The widespread and rapid increase in use of technologies, such as mobile phones, has led to concern regarding possible impacts that exposure to the radiofrequency (RF) electromagnetic fields (EMF) emitted by these devices may have on human health, and there is now evidence that mobile phone-like exposures affect electrical brain activity. Although early reports of such effects were inconsistent and suffering from serious methodological limitations, these have now been replicated repeatedly with strong methodologies, showing an effects of RF EMF exposure on the alpha and spindle frequency ranges during sleep (Huber et al., 2003; Loughran et al., 2005, 2012; Regel et al., 2007; Schmid et al., 2012). These effects have also been shown to be dose-dependent (Regel et al., 2007) as well as sensitive to individual variability (Loughran et al., 2012). Despite this, the underlying neurobiological mechanisms, functional consequences, and potential presence of this effect in children, remains unknown. In response to the concern and uncertainty regarding mobile phones and health, the World Health Organisation has identified studies in children of different ages, as well as studies validating effects on the EEG and identifying mechanisms, as high priority research needs. A series of studies are currently underway to address these issues, determining (1) Whether the EEG effect is consistent with an RF-induced thermal change using both the awake and sleep EEG; (2) The sensitivity of children and adolescents sleep to RF; (3) The influence of gender and circadian cycle on the EEG effect; and (4) The functional consequences of the effect on the EEG. This presentation will review the previous work on RF and sleep, discuss the open questions and how the current research at the Australian Centre for Electromagnetic Bioeffects Research is addressing this, and how previous and future research can be translated and contribute to health policy and RF safety standards.
doi:10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2016.07.202
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is characterized by lesions of myelin, which result in a broad range of symptoms including motor, cognitive and psychiatric disorders. More recently, emotional dysfunctions have been reported as clinical signs appearing in early steps of the disease. Considering the adaptive value of emotional coding in social exchanges, several authors tried to better understand the role of emotion in MS behaviors and their potential impact in the well-being of patients. Some studies tried on one hand to disentangle emotional components from cognitive, sensory or motor impairments and on the other hand to identify and to characterize mechanisms subtending emotional reactivity in MS. In this presentation we aimed, firstly to review data from the literature related to the exploration of emotional facets in MS and, secondly, to investigate the ability of patients with Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (RRMS) to recognize emotional facial expressions (EFE). To this end, cognitive, affective and executive functions were assessed in fifteen RRMS patients and in fifteen controls, matched for age, sex, educational level and laterality. Behavioral (emotional categorization, reaction time and emotional intensity evaluation) and brain reactivity (P100 and N170 evoked components) were recorded in both groups during a task testing the recognition of fifteen morphs of emotional (anger, joy; low and high intensities) and neutral facial expressions. Results showed that, compared to controls, RRMS presented a deficit to categorize low intensities of anger expressions. Moreover, patients manifested a significant difficulty to estimate the intensity of anger and joy facial expressions. RRMS patients also showed a significant decrease of the P100 amplitude and an increase of the latency of the N170 to the presentation of EFE. Reported data seem to indicate a difficulty to RRMS patients to discriminate the emotional value of EFE; in addition, the related cerebral coding appears to engage fewer and slowed resources when compared with healthy participants. Thus, obtained data sustain the existence of a difficulty to integrate emotional facial information in RRMS patients. Overall, this study encourages the exploration of such deficit in order to optimize the emotional regulation, a main factor of quality of life in MS patients.
doi:10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2016.07.200
50 Symposium B7 Mobile Phone and Electromagnetic Field Exposure and the Brain: Current Knowledge and Research Gaps Sarah Loughran (Australia) Telecommunications technologies, such as mobile phones, have developed rapidly and their use is now ubiquitous. This widespread and rapid increase in use has led to considerable concern regarding potential impacts that exposure to the radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) and extremely low frequency magnetic fields (ELF-MF) emitted by these devices may have on human health. Of particular concern is the brain and brain function, as a substantial portion of the EMF is absorbed by the human head during normal use. Although a range of endpoints have been investigated and some reported to be affected by RF-EMF exposure, the vast majority of these have not withstood the test of replication (van Rongen et al., 2009). Conversely, subtle RF-EMF-induced changes to neural function, as measured by the electroencephalograph (EEG), have been reliably demonstrated with effects consistently seen on alpha activity during wake, and alpha and sleep spindle frequencies during sleep (Borbely et al., 1999; Croft et al.,
61
2008; Croft et al., 2010; Huber et al., 2003; Loughran et al., 2012; Loughran et al., 2005; Regel et al., 2007; Schmid et al., 2012a; Schmid et al., 2012b). These effects have been replicated in independent laboratories, and have also been shown to be dose-dependent (Regel et al., 2007) and sensitive to individual differences (Loughran et al., 2012). Reacting to this, the World Health Organisation (WHO, 2010) identified as ‘high priority’, research questions that it argued needed to be addressed in order to clarify the relative impact of RF-EMF on human health. Specifically, it called for research to determine the neurobiological mechanisms underlying RF-induced effect on the EEG, to better understand both the mechanisms responsible for this effect as well as the neural processes themselves. This symposium will address the current state of knowledge and research gaps regarding RF-EMF and ELF-MF exposures and four measures of neural function: 1/ Sleep and the sleep EEG; 2/ Resting EEG; 3/ Event-related potentials; and 4/ Acute visual perceptions (magnetophosphenes).
doi:10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2016.07.201
488 Mobile Phone Emissions and the Sleeping Brain Sarah Loughran Australian Centre for Electromagnetic Bioeffects Research, Wollongong, Australia University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia The widespread and rapid increase in use of technologies, such as mobile phones, has led to concern regarding possible impacts that exposure to the radiofrequency (RF) electromagnetic fields (EMF) emitted by these devices may have on human health, and there is now evidence that mobile phone-like exposures affect electrical brain activity. Although early reports of such effects were inconsistent and suffering from serious methodological limitations, these have now been replicated repeatedly with strong methodologies, showing an effects of RF EMF exposure on the alpha and spindle frequency ranges during sleep (Huber et al., 2003; Loughran et al., 2005, 2012; Regel et al., 2007; Schmid et al., 2012). These effects have also been shown to be dose-dependent (Regel et al., 2007) as well as sensitive to individual variability (Loughran et al., 2012). Despite this, the underlying neurobiological mechanisms, functional consequences, and potential presence of this effect in children, remains unknown. In response to the concern and uncertainty regarding mobile phones and health, the World Health Organisation has identified studies in children of different ages, as well as studies validating effects on the EEG and identifying mechanisms, as high priority research needs. A series of studies are currently underway to address these issues, determining (1) Whether the EEG effect is consistent with an RF-induced thermal change using both the awake and sleep EEG; (2) The sensitivity of children and adolescents sleep to RF; (3) The influence of gender and circadian cycle on the EEG effect; and (4) The functional consequences of the effect on the EEG. This presentation will review the previous work on RF and sleep, discuss the open questions and how the current research at the Australian Centre for Electromagnetic Bioeffects Research is addressing this, and how previous and future research can be translated and contribute to health policy and RF safety standards.
doi:10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2016.07.202