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Is your cell phone hurting your brain?
Recent headlines probably overstate the case that it might be. Studies on how cell phones affect the brain have been conducted since cell phones were adopted by the masses, in the decade of the 90's. Some of the studies have been placating and others have been alarmist, but none have been meaningfully conclusive.
The latest study, published last week in the Journal of the American Medical Association, has been amplified in the general press, in ways that imply dangerous side-effects associated with cell phone usage. The study itself makes no such claims.
The key finding was that cell phones appear to stimulate metabolic activity in those brain cells nearest to the ear where the cell phone is held. Certainly, metabolic activity in and of itself, is not a bad thing; cells must metabolize energy to function. The pertinent question is whether or not such activity, in response to cell phone radiation, has any meaning.
The authors did not speculate on whether the observed metabolic activity was good, bad, or otherwise. From a scientific point of view, a case could be made for any of those three possibilities.
The best summary and reasoned perspective that I have read on this research, was posted by Dr. David Katz on the Huffington post. I strongly encourage you to click through, and read his cogent overview of what this latest study means, and what it does not mean.
You should follow Brain Today on twitter here
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AMEN!
ReplyDeleteAs an experimental psychologist who has studied a lot about brain physiology and function, I agree that many of the so-called 'studies' on this subject have been 'suggestive' at best...and 'misleading' at their worst! (This often can be due to the lack of good experimental controls in the studies...)
You are quite correct that the 'media' in many instances look for topics like this that 'make a good story'...and in the process, due a grave disservice to the reading public!
Tom R. Asheville, NC