RESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: To use improved methods to address the question of whether acute exposure to radio-frequency (RF) electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) affects early (80-200â¯ms) sensory and later (180-600â¯ms) cognitive processes as indexed by event-related potentials (ERPs). METHODS: Thirty-six healthy subjects completed a visual discrimination task during concurrent exposure to a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM)-like, 920â¯MHz signal with peak-spatial specific absorption rate for 10â¯g of tissue of 0â¯W/kg of body mass (Sham), 1â¯W/kg (Low RF) and 2â¯W/kg (High RF). A fully randomised, counterbalanced, double-blind design was used. RESULTS: P1 amplitude was reduced (pâ¯=â¯.02) and anterior N1 latency was increased (pâ¯=â¯.04) during Exposure compared to Sham. There were no effects on any other ERP latencies or amplitudes. CONCLUSIONS: RF-EMF exposure may affect early perceptual (P1) and preparatory motor (anterior N1) processes. However, only two ERP indices, out of 56 comparisons, were observed to differ between RF-EMF exposure and Sham, suggesting that these observations may be due to chance. SIGNIFICANCE: These observations are consistent with previous findings that RF-EMF exposure has no reliable impact on cognition (e.g., accuracy and response speed).