title: Mobile phone emission modulates inter-hemispheric functional coupling of EEG alpha rhythms in elderly compared to young subjects.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  It has been reported that GSM electromagnetic fields (GSM-EMFs) of mobile phones modulate--after a prolonged exposure--inter-hemispheric synchronization of temporal and frontal resting electroencephalographic (EEG) rhythms in normal young subjects [Vecchio et al., 2007]. Here we tested the hypothesis that this effect can vary on physiological aging as a sign of changes in the functional organization of cortical neural synchronization.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eyes-closed resting EEG data were recorded in 16 healthy elderly subjects and 5 young subjects in the two conditions of the previous reference study. The GSM device was turned on (45 min) in one condition and was turned off (45 min) in the other condition. Spectral coherence evaluated the inter-hemispheric synchronization of EEG rhythms at the following bands: delta (about 2-4 Hz), theta (about 4-6 Hz), alpha 1 (about 6-8 Hz), alpha 2 (about 8-10 Hz), and alpha 3 (about 10-12 Hz). The aging effects were investigated comparing the inter-hemispheric EEG coherence in the elderly subjects vs. a young group formed by 15 young subjects (10 young subjects of the reference study; Vecchio et al., 2007).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with the young subjects, the elderly subjects showed a statistically significant (p<0.001) increment of the inter-hemispheric coherence of frontal and temporal alpha rhythms (about 8-12 Hz) during the GSM condition.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that GSM-EMFs of a mobile phone affect inter-hemispheric synchronization of the dominant (alpha) EEG rhythms as a function of the physiological aging.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study provides further evidence that physiological aging is related to changes in the functional organization of cortical neural synchronization.
authors.affiliation: AFaR, Department of Neuroscience, Hosp Fatebenefratelli, Isola Tiberina, Rome, Italy. fabrizio.vecchio@uniroma1.it
authors.forename: Fabrizio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Vecchio
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Babiloni
authors.forename: Florinda
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ferreri
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Buffo
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cibelli
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Curcio
authors.forename: Sven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: van Dijkman
authors.forename: Jean-Marc
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Melgari
authors.forename: Federica
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Giambattistelli
authors.forename: Paolo Maria
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Rossini
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000513:Alpha Rhythm / Q000528:radiation effects*; D040421:Cell Phone; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects*; D003344:Cortical Synchronization / Q000528:radiation effects; D004574:Electromagnetic Fields / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects*; D055815:Young Adult