Cell Phones Fry Memory
MotherJones
08-Dec-2008 (5 comments)
Cell Phones Fry Memory

Rats exposed to mobile phone radiation for two hours a week for more than a year suffered memory loss. The findings may be related to earlier findings that microwave radiation from cell phones affects the blood-brain barrier.

The team from Lund University in Sweden previously found that albumin, a protein that acts as a transport molecule in the blood, leaks into brain tissue when lab animals are exposed to mobile phone radiation. Now they find damaged nerve cells in the cerebral cortex and in the hippocampus, the memory centers of the brain. Although the albumin leakage occurs directly after radiation, the nerve damage takes four to eight weeks to manifest.

Furthermore, the team discovered alterations in the activity of a large number of genes after cell phone radiation—not in individual genes but in groups that are functionally related. "We now see that things happen to ... >>>

Monda

Warning!

by Monda on

Here's wondering how much of memory loss, in women my age, is due to hormonal changes and what portion is due to our possible abuse of cell phone. Any studies out there?

Posing it differently, if 50 is the old 40 and 40 the old 30...then it must the cell phone use that's causing premature memory loss in all of us. Any thoughts?



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Monda

AO

by Monda on

Good question! I will contact the researchers, on your behalf, to ask about the sex of those rats. I have a feeling they used both sexes, as researchers often want to reduce biases to the lowest possible to make the finding valid.

Now that you mention it, I have come across quite a few male cell abusers who were really close to causing an accident. Just last week I was cut off in a parking lot by a male on cell phone while he pulled his suv into a parking space (using one hand only, yikes!). I was fuming and honked from the bottom of my heart. He gave me a finger (while still on the damned cell).


Monda

AW

by Monda on

I got those warning emails myself, although I didn't check snopes to verify those. Because the idea of gadgets becoming neccessities really bother me. And I was hoping some hard evidence would be presented about cell phone abuse sooner or later. So I actively look for links of cell phones to all sorts of dysfunctions. For example there has been researches on cell phone use and ADD/ADHD in high schoolers, on insomnia, on migrains, on PMS, etc. It's all good news to me! Of course I don't have a baby at home all day with a sitter nor am I dealing with emergency business deals, so I don't need cell phones that often.

Another thing I hate about cell phones is the way they have interfered with our social lives. We were having dinner at my sister's and the damned cell was ringing every 10 minutes, asking for the owner to disengage from that moment to instead chat about something that could easily be discussed the next houre or even the next day! I think cell phones are very useful for emergencies  but who is to define emergency?!

    


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I was wondering...

by Anonymous Officer (not verified) on

Were they male or female rats? Because I see a lot of automobile accidents involving female drivers with cell phones. I was wondering if female rats are more susceptible to memory loss from cell phone usage than male rats.


American Wife

a little off the subject but

by American Wife on

still relative.  I remember when this rumor was going around...lol

//www.snopes.com/science/cookegg.asp

I doubt I use the cell phone that much... it's purely a convenience for me but I fear for our children!  Our youngest is glued to it 24/7.  But it makes me feel a little better that I can blame it on the cell phone instead of just getting older...:-0