Cell Phones Cause Brain-Activity Changes
February 23rd 2011 20:44
A 50-minute cell phone call causes temporary changes in the brain, researchers say, sparking new concerns about the way our beloved devices affect our health. The electromagnetic radiation emitted by cell phone antennas increases brain activity to unusually high levels, according to findings published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The study, led by the National Institutes of Health, is among the first to show that cell phones alter brain metabolism. Researchers followed 47 healthy volunteers who underwent two brain scans. During one scan, a cell phone connected to a muted call was attached to participants' right ear; during the other, they were phone-free. When the phone was turned on, participants experienced a 7 percent increase in the rate of glucose metabolism—an indicator of brain activity—in the regions closest to the cell phone antenna. "This study shows that the human brain is sensitive to electromagnetic radiation coming out of cell phones," study author Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, told the Wall Street Journal. "Our finding does not tell us if this is harmful or not," she said. More research is needed to understand the potential health effects of cell phone use.
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