Increased Brain Activity Linked to Cell Phones

One of the most useful and important devices in the lives of American teens has been revealed to have a significant effect on one’s overall health. Recent studies on the effects of cell phones have provided some interesting results. The electromagnetic field emitted by cell phones causes a notable increase in brain activity.

Dr. Nora D. Volkow, the director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, conducted this study along with her colleagues. The study documented that the human brain is sensitive to the electromagnetic radiation that is emitted by cell phones. Dr. Volkow also cautions that there may be long-lasting consequences of repeated stimulation over 5, 10, or 15 years. The stimulation that a cell phone’s radiation causes on the human brain is considered artificial and may cause damage over time. This issue is creating quite a debate regarding the safety of cellular devices.

The risks could be greater for older of cell phone users because they are more likely to talk on the phone than text, whereas teenagers text more often than they talk.  This means that younger people may be at a lower risk for excess brain stimulation. Studies showed that the increase in brain activity was mainly concentrated near the portion of the head where the cell phone’s antenna is placed. Using cell phones primarily for texting would reduce the amount of radiation a person receives.

However, some researchers believe this artificial stimulation of the brain could be considered a beneficial form of exercise. Many scientists, such as Dr. Ronald B. Herberman, chief medical officer for the Intrexon Corporation biotechnology company, are skeptical about the correlation of cell phone use and brain damage. Dr. Herberman suggested that the type of radiation cell phones emit is too weak to break chemical bonds and cause cancer.

In one of Dr. Volkow’s experiments, she and her researchers used brain scans to measure the exact amount of electromagnetic radiation affecting the brain. The 2009 study asked 47 random participants to undergo a positron emission tomography, or PET scan, to measure the brain’s glucose metabolism, which marks brain activity. Each participant was set up with a cell phone on each ear and then was scanned in two 50-minute sessions. During one of the scans, the cell phones were turned off, and, during the other scan, the phone on the participant’s right ear was turned on and able to receive a call from a recorded message. The sound on the phones was turned off to avoid brain stimulation from the audio of the call.

The results of the experiment showed a 7% increase in brain activity in the section of the brain closest to the antenna when the phone on the right ear was operative. The activity occurred inside the brain near the antenna. The researcher considered these findings to be highly significant.

The results of these tests do not seem to bother many students in Fleetwood.

“Jersey Shore messes up your brain! Cell phones cannot do anything worse than that,” says FAHS student Ryan Schlegel.

“I would freak out without my cell phone. I’m all right with losing a couple of brain cells,” jokes FAHS student Mari Comacho.

Researchers do not recommend eliminating daily usage of cell phones, so there is nothing at the moment to cause panic. Nevertheless, someday in the near future, further effects of using cell phones could be revealed, causing people to be scared of simply holding a cellular device.