Cell Phone Radiation Affects Normal Functioning of the Human Brain

Using a cell phone for 50
minutes is associated with increased
activity of the brain in the region
closest to the phone antenna, finds
new research by scientists at the
National Institutes of Health and
Brookhaven National Laboratory .
Elevated brain glucose metabolism, a
marker of brain activity , showed up in
a study designed to assess whether
cell phone exposure affected regional
activity in the human brain , led by
Nora Volkow , MD , of the National
Institutes of Health.
The study , published in today's issue
of the "Journal of the American
Medical Association," is the first
investigation in humans of glucose
metabolism in the brain after cell
phone use .
" Fifty-minute exposure to a cell
phone was associated with increases
in glucose consumption by the
brain , which indicates that the brain
was being activated by the
radiofrequencies from the cell
phone ," said Dr . Volkow .
" Even though the radiofrequencies
that are emitted from current cell
phone technologies are very weak ,
they are able to activate the human
brain - they have an effect , " said Dr.
Volkow , a specialist in brain activity
who serves as director of the National
Institute on Drug Abuse and works
with the National Institute on Alcohol
Abuse and Alcoholism .
The randomized study was conducted
between January 1 and December 31,
2009 at a single U .S . laboratory
among 47 healthy participants
recruited from the community .
Cell phones were placed on their left
and right ears and brain imaging was
performed with positron emission
tomography , PET , scans. The imaging
was used to measure brain glucose
metabolism twice , once with the right
cell phone activated but sound muted
for 50 minutes - the " on" condition -
and once with both cell phones
deactivated - the " off" condition.
The PET scans were compared to
assess the effect of cell phone use on
brain glucose metabolism.


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