Title: Can The QLink Ally (R), A Form Of Sympathetic Resonance Technology (SRT
(TM)), Attenuate Acute Mobile Phone Related Changes To Neural Function? A Pilot Study.
Rodney J. Croft*†, Jody S. Chandler*, Adrian P. Burgess‡, Robert J. Barry*, John D. Williams¢ & Adam R. Clarke*.
* Brain & Behaviour Research Institute, University of Wollongong, Northfields Ave., Wollongong 2522, Australia
† Centre for Neuropsychopharmacology, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn 3122, Australia
‡ Department of Cognitive Neuroscience & Behaviour, Imperial College Medical School, St. Dunstans Road, London W68RF, U.K.
¢ Department of Psychology, Coventry University, Priory St., Coventry CV15FB, U.K.

Address correspondence to:
Rodney J. Croft, Centre for Neuropsychopharmacology, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn 3122, Australia. Tel: +61(3)92148769; Fax: +61(3)92145230; Email: rcroft@swin.edu.au
Running head: Attenuation of Mobile Phone Effects on EEG
Key words: Mobile Phone; EMF; Q Link; Resting EEG; ERD.

Objectives: Exposure to active mobile phones (MP) has been shown to affect human neural function in terms of the electroencephalogram (EEG). Although it has not been determined whether such effects are harmful, a number of devices have been developed that attempt to minimise these MP-related effects. One such device, the Q Link Ally®, is argued to affect the human organism in such a way as to attenuate the effect of MPs. The present pilot study was designed to determine whether there is any indication that Q-Link does alter MP-related effects on the human EEG. Design: Twenty-four subjects participated in a single-blind, fully counterbalanced cross-over design where subjects’ resting EEG and phase-locked neural responses to auditory stimuli were assessed under conditions of either active MP or active MP plus Q-Link. Results: The addition of Q-Link to the MP condition increased resting EEG in the gamma range and did so as a function of exposure duration, and it attenuated MP-related effects in the delta and alpha range (at trend-level). The addition of the Q-Link also affected phase-locked neural responses, with a laterality reversal in the alpha range and an alteration to changes over time in the delta range, a reduction of the MP-related beta decrease over time at fronto-posterior sites, and a global reduction in the gamma range that increased as a function of exposure duration. No unambiguous relations were found between these changes and either performance or psychological state. Conclusions: This pilot study suggests that the addition of the Q-Link to active MP-exposure does affect neural function in humans, altering both resting EEG patterns and the evoked neural response to auditory stimuli, and that there is a tendency for some MP-related changes to the EEG to be attenuated by the Q-Link.

Introduction
Mobile phones (MP) typically operate via a 900-1800 MHz pulsed-signal whose output can be as high as 250 mW. There is concern that exposure to this signal may affect humans, with a resultant body of research testing for MP-related changes in human physiology and pathology. Research has failed to find consistent relations between MP-use and human pathology, however, in terms of neural function there is evidence that MPs have a cumulative effect on neural function (as indexed by the electroencephalogram; EEG), becoming pronounced after fifteen to twenty minutes of exposure (Reiser et al., 1995; Lebedeva et al., 2000; Croft et al., in press). For example, we recently demonstrated that MPs alter both resting EEG and the phase-locked neural response to auditory stimuli as a function of exposure duration, with these changes related to changes in both psychological state and reaction time measures (Croft et al., in press). Although it has not been shown that such changes are detrimental to the user, a number of methods have been developed that purport to attenuate the effect of MPs. The present paper reports on a pilot study designed to test one such device, the Q Link Ally®, in attenuating the effects of an activated MP on human EEG.

The Q-Link is a ‘black box’ portable EMF-emitting device that emits low-dose (100 mW power uptake) continuous waves at 7,377 MHz (plus a series of upper harmonics; Clarus Products International), and is powered by a 9V D.C. source. It is argued by the developer that this EMF acts as a carrier wave for subatomic ‘information’, and that this information assists in strengthening an organism’s resilience to stressors. However, there are a number of elements to the above theory that are not verifiable (some because critical details have not been made available by the developer, and others because science does not have the requisite tools at present). This study thus tests an aspect of this thesis that is within the scope of electrophysiology - whether it alters the MP-related effect on neural function (in terms of the EEG). In order to perform this test, neural function while exposed to an active MP was compared to neural function while exposed to both an active MP and Q-Link. The measures employed were resting EEG (the subject sits relaxed with their eyes open), the early phase-locked neural response to a number of tones (the subject selectively responds to one of two tones differing only in frequency), performance (reaction time) and psychological state (how ‘activated’ the subject is). The null hypothesis being tested is that the Q-Link has no effect on any of the measures (i.e. for each measure, ‘MP’ = ‘Q-Link + MP’). The present study forms part of a larger research project designed to determine the effect of MPs on human EEG, with the ‘MP versus Control’ comparisons reported elsewhere (Croft et al., in press).