Cell Phone Radiation Could Improve Memory, Fight Alzheimer's
My 91 year old mom has been on my case for years to get a cell phone, saying all the other cool moms have them, but I resisted because she couldn't figure out the on and off button when we tried it once. Now it turns out it might actually have been a good thing for her; according to LiveScience, a team at Florida Alzheimer's Disease Research Center found that it gave mice a boost in brain activity.
"It surprised us to find that cell phone exposure, begun in early adulthood, protects the memory of mice otherwise destined to develop Alzheimer's symptoms," said Gary Arendash, lead author of the study.
University of South Florida
The mice were not actually chatting on cell phone or even packing the devices. Rather, they were housed in cages arranged around a centrally-located antenna that generated a cell-phone signal. The cages were arranged at the same distance from the antenna and exposed to the radiation typically emitted by a cell phone pressed up against a human head.
But they did find that if they were exposed while young adults, they were protected. If older mice already suffering from Alzheimer's were exposed to the radiate, their impairment disappeared.
Will this work with mom?
The researchers showed that exposing old Alzheimer's mice to the electromagnetic waves generated by cell phones erased brain deposits of beta-amyloid, a protein strongly associated with Alzheimer's disease. Clumps of beta-amyloid form so-called brain plaques that are a hallmark of the disease. The scientists speculate the cell phone radiation increases brain temperature, causing brain cells to release the nasty plaques.....
"Since we selected electromagnetic parameters that were identical to human cell phone use and tested mice in a task closely analogous to a human memory test, we believe our findings could have considerable relevance to humans," Arendash said.
More in Livescience.
Treehugger usually says the opposite, that cellphone radiation is an issue:
New Guide Tells You How Much Radiation Your Cell Phone Emits
Green Glossary: Cell Phone Radiation
Drop Your Cell Phone Use