Background: The introduction of 5G technology as the latest standard in mobile telecommunications has raised concerns about its potential health effects. Prior studies of earlier generations of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) demonstrated narrowband spectral increases in the electroencephalographic (EEG) spindle frequency range (11-16 Hz) in non-rapid-eye-movement (NREM) sleep. However, the impact of 5G RF-EMF on sleep remains unexplored. Additionally, RF-EMF can activate l-type voltage-gated calcium channels (LTCC), which have been linked to sleep quality and EEG oscillatory activity.
Objective: This study investigates whether the allelic variant rs7304986 in the CACNA1C gene, encoding the α1C subunit of LTCC, modulates 5G RF-EMF effects on EEG spindle activity in NREM sleep.
Methods: Thirty-four participants, genotyped for rs7304986 (15 T/C and 19 matched T/T carriers), underwent a double-blind, sham-controlled study with standardized left-hemisphere exposure to two 5G RF-EMF signals (3.6 GHz and 700 MHz) for 30 min before sleep. Sleep spindle activity was analyzed using high-density EEG and the Fitting Oscillations & One Over f (FOOOF) algorithm.
Results: T/C carriers reported longer sleep latency compared to T/T carriers. A significant interaction between RF-EMF exposure and rs7304986 genotype was observed, with only 3.6 GHz exposure in T/C carriers inducing a faster spindle center frequency in the central, parietal, and occipital cortex compared to sham.
Conclusion: These findings suggest that 3.6 GHz 5G RF-EMF modulates spindle center frequency in NREM sleep in a CACNA1C genotype-dependent manner, implicating LTCC in the physiological response to RF-EMF and underscoring the need for further research into 5G effects on brain health.
Keywords: 5G RF-EMF; Biological mechanism; NREM sleep; Sleep spindles; Voltage-gated calcium channels.
Copyright © 2025. Published by Elsevier Inc.