Calculation of specific absorption rate (SAR) in human brain neurons using complex permittivity

Abstract

The effect of the external electromagnetic radiation on the human brain has been investigated by the numerical calculation of the frequency-dependent complex permittivity. Using the Hodgkin–Huxley neuron model, an analytical method for the calculation of the electromagnetic power absorption in the brain neurons is proposed based on the complex permittivity of neuron membranes. The effect of the human head is considered through the calculation of forward and backward travelling electromagnetic waves. The modified time-dependent Hodgkin–Huxley equations have been used to obtain the reflectivity and transmissivity of the external stimulus at the membrane of the cell. The amount of absorbed energy by the human head is presented in the form of the electromagnetic absorption rate.

Keywords:

• Neuroscience
• electromagnetic radiation
• specific absorption rate

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.