Monitoring the effects of mobile phone use on the brain by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy

Abstract

Purpose: To determine whether extensive use of mobile phones affects brain metabolites detectable by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (¹H MRS).

Materials and methods: Twenty-one extensive mobile phone users (average use = 5.5 ± 2.2 years at 2.4 ± 1.1 hours/day) and 15 control subjects were recruited and submitted to a ¹H MRS brain examination at 1.5 Tesla. Data were recorded in the most exposed right temporal and pontobulbar areas as well as in the contralateral left temporal area. The ratios of N-acetylaspartate (NAA), choline (Cho) and myo-inositol (mI) to creatine/phosphocreatine (Cr) were measured.

Results: No statistically significant changes in the NAA/Cr, Cho/Cr and mI/Cr ratios were measured between mobile phone users and control subjects and between the exposed and contralateral temporal areas.

Conclusion: These results indicate that extensive exposition to mobile phone radiation does not cause MRS-detectable brain metabolic changes.

Keywords:

• Mobile phone
• brain metabolism
• proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy