ANALYZING THE EFFECTS OF CELL PHONE ON THE BRAIN USING EEG

Cellular phones have become an integral part of modern telecommunications, however
these mobiles communicate by transmitting high radio waves absorbed into the users’
head during calls which could create health problems. For this reason, this research
analyzes the effects of cell phones on the brain and attempts to find a way to reduce the
direct radiation from the mobile. Brain signals are recorded using Emotiv16-electrode
from 20 subjects, under different six conditions: before use; four sub conditions during
use i.e. using the right ear without distance, right ear with distance, left ear without
distance and left ear with distance; and finally after use of the cell phone. The collected
data is analyzed using MATLAB and Neuroguide software. The findings show that the
mobile phones could have an effect on the brain during the calls and five minutes after
calls. These effects cause a decrease in Delta, Theta and Alpha power, and an increase of
Beta power. Comparing the conditions of during and after calls to before calls, the
coherence or the connection between the temporal and frontal lobe, are significantly
lower in terms of Delta, Theta and Alpha, and greater in terms of Beta waves. There is
then evidence that cell phones have side effects on the human brain. Keeping the cell
phone away from the ear, or using the left ear instead of the right ear is recommended in
order to reduce the side effects due to the radiation of the mobile phones.