Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39575575›Full record

SynthesisBioelectromagnetics2025

The effect of mobile phone electromagnetic fields on the human resting state wake EEG and event-related potential: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Anna C Prins, Koen Baas, Johan N van der Meer, Marc Jacobs, Aart J Nederveen

Abstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Bioelectromagnetics, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Anna C PrinsDepartment of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Koen BaasDepartment of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Johan N van der MeerDepartment of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Marc JacobsDepartment of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Aart J NederveenDepartment of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5477-973X

Funding

None
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The rapid growth of mobile phone usage and its use of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) have raised concerns about potential health risks. Researchers have conducted studies to examine the effects of RF-EMF on the brain using electroencephalography (EEG). We conducted a systematic quality assessment and meta-analysis of published research in this field to establish high-quality studies as references for future protocols. The electronic search yielded 244 records from which a total of 51 studies were included in the review after excluding studies based on study design, and data or report availability. Of these 51 studies, 31 (61%) focused on resting state wake EEG and 20 (39%) on event-related potentials (ERP). None of the 51 studies were free from risk of bias. From the 51 included studies, we were able to use seven studies to create three different groups for meta-analysis for resting state wake EEG and five studies to create 10 different groups for meta-analysis for ERP. Per group the number of studies varies from 1 to 5. Our procedure is the first systematic quality assessment in this field and revealed three important findings. First, there is evidence of an effect on the EEG of a 2G protocol using an eyes-open condition. Second, we did not find evidence for EEG effects during task performance. This suggests that the impact of EMF during task performance is less pronounced compared to the resting state condition. Third, this meta-analysis shows that the field is unable to create an evidence base for most comparisons due to heterogeneity. We therefore advise that all future studies are double-blind in nature, adhere to the methodological standard of randomized experiments, and publish their protocols first.

Indexed as

Cell PhoneElectroencephalographyElectromagnetic FieldsEvoked PotentialsRestBrainHumansWakefulnesselectroencephalographyevent‐related potentialmeta‐analysismobile phoneradiofrequency electromagnetic fields

Identifiers

PMID39575575
PMCPMC11650549

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.