In 20 healthy women aged 20-25, quiet rest reduced slow-wave synchrony after induced underarousal but alpha/beta power fell by minute eight. Passive social-media browsing sustained arousal and increased high-frequency beta power by minute 16.
Key findings
- Delta/theta synchrony emerged by minute four. Quiet rest suppressed slow activity but did not sustain alpha/beta, whereas mobile use increased beta and preliminary frontal-midline synchronisation.
Why this matters globally
The work informs digital-hygiene debates by suggesting that an alerting break may not deliver neural disengagement.
Thai researcher contribution
A multidisciplinary Walailak team combined allied health, informatics, medicine and hospital expertise for EEG-based mobile-use research.
Limitations to consider
Twenty young women limit generalisability; crossover/randomisation and multiplicity control are unclear. PLV is exploratory, and beta power alone is not a validated global recovery measure.