In our previous study, we showed that acute exposure to mobile phone radiofrequency electromagnetic fields at 900 MHz modulates the magnetoencephalographic rhythms of alpha band power in healthy participants. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the scope of this effect extends to the modulation of brain functional connectivity. To this end, healthy young individuals were exposed to Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) signals at a frequency of 900 MHz, modulated at 217 Hz with a maximum power of 2 W. The pre- and post-exposure magnetoencephalographic recordings were normalized and used to calculate brain functional connectivity using the corrected imaginary phase-locking value. Our data revealed significant alterations in intra-hemispheric brain functional connectivity during real GSM-900 MHz exposure compared with the sham session. Specifically, regions in the right hemisphere-including the transverse temporal, entorhinal, insula, and posterior cingulate-were modulated by the exposure. These findings suggest that GSM radiofrequency electromagnetic fields may influence neural communication and brain functional connectivity, potentially affecting cognitive processes. Further studies are needed to explore the underlying mechanisms and assess the long-term implications for neural health.
Keywords: GSM 900 MHz; Human brain connectivity; MEG; Mobile phone; Radiofrequency.
Copyright © 2025. Published by Elsevier Inc.