RF-049Original text reviewed
Regional brain glucose metabolism in a blinded crossover experiment
The reported finding
Near-antenna regional metabolism was 35.7 versus 33.3 micromol/100 g/min; mean difference 2.4 (95% CI 0.67-4.2), p=.004. Whole-brain metabolism did not differ.
Reading it carefully
Objective physiological response of unknown clinical significance; neither brain injury nor cancer demonstrated. No individual compliance certification from handset model SAR.
Inside the study
Exposure conditions
837.8 MHz CDMA handset; right phone active and muted for 50 min versus both phones off. Manufacturer model maximum head SAR 0.901 W/kg, not participant-specific measured SAR.
Design & controls
Randomized crossover, 47 healthy participants analysed, each with two FDG-PET sessions; participants blinded; field signal checked throughout calls.
Related research & shared cohorts
US NIH/Brookhaven programme; independent of Swiss and French EEG experiments.
The protection question raised
Does the local metabolic response have consequences for health or function? This blinded human observation establishes an objective response under its protocol, while clinical significance and individual delivered dose remain unresolved.
Source verification
Original accepted manuscript methods, results and disclosures reviewed; Scite abstract and notices checked
Where to find the result
Author manuscript pp.3-5 methods/results; p.7 funding; p.1 conflict statement
Editorial notices
No correction, concern or retraction identified in Scite/primary PubMed and targeted DOI search; commentary is not an erratum.
Funding
NIH intramural research programme and US Department of Energy infrastructure support; manuscript states funders had no role in conduct or interpretation.
Conflicts of interest
Authors reported none on ICMJE disclosures.
Original publication
Volkow ND, Tomasi D, Wang GJ, Vaska P, Fowler JS, Telang F, Alexoff D, Logan J, Wong C. Effects of cell phone radiofrequency signal exposure on brain glucose metabolism. JAMA. 2011;305(8):808-813. doi:10.1001/jama.2011.186.