Mobile Phones, Alzheimer's and Brain Health

University of South Florida researchers have completed a unique study of the effect of electromagnetic waves on the memory and thinking of mice.  In their study, half the mice were “normal,” and half were genetically engineered to develop the plaques associated with Alzheimer’s.  The mice were exposed to an amount of electromagnetic waves meant to simulate the exposure humans get from using mobile phones.

This exposure to radiation seemed to improve memory and thinking in the “normal” mice and prevent dementia in the “Alzheimer’s” mice, according to the scientists.  Autopsies of the mice exposed to radiation seemed to show fewer plaques in their brains.

Does this mean you should stop worrying about potentially harmful effects of mobile phone use?  Or that using your mobile phone a lot will prevent memory loss?  Not according to Dr. William Thies, Ph.D., chief medical and scientific officer for the Alzheimer’s Association.

“This article is certainly no call to ‘self medicate’ by spending more time on your cell phone, especially in risky environments such as while driving,” he says.  “No one should feel they are being protected from Alzheimer’s, dementia or cognitive decline by using their cell phones based on this study.”

It’s hard to say what these results mean for Alzheimer’s research.  “This idea deserves further study,” says Dr. Thies.  “The unexpected effects observed are potentially interesting and justify further study under rigorously controlled conditions using larger numbers of animals. It needs to be replicated in animals before we begin to even consider trying it in people, as animal models of Alzheimer’s and people with the disease are very different. Potential therapies that have been ‘successful’ in mouse models of Alzheimer’s have not worked in people.”

It’s even harder to say what these results mean when added to the conflicting evidence on mobile phone usage and brain health. A recent report endorsed by a group of scientists makes the case for caution and further study of the association between mobile phone usage and brain tumors.  But a 2009 analysis of brain tumor rates in Scandinavia shows no increase in the rate of tumors since the introduction of mobile phones.  As the authors of that analysis note, this may mean there is no association, but it also may mean the study was too small to show any association, that only subgroups of mobile phone users develop tumors, or that tumors take many years to develop.

It looks like it will be years before we know what mobile phone usage does to our brains.

Comments

[Danny George]

hey Mona, I was going to comment on this story. Glad that Bill Theis is reining in the madness, as are most "experts" quoted in the various stories I've seen. Amazing how the media seizes upon these incidental studies on 90 mice!

[DORIS WILLIAMS]

MY HUSBAND HAD AN UNUSUAL EXPERIENCE AFTER HURRICANE CHARLIE IN 2004, OUR HOME WAS DESTROYED AND WE ENDED UP BEING OUT OF THERE FOR 11 MONTHS. ALSO, HE HAD JUST HAD LOWER BACK SURGERY AND ANOTHER ONE WAS PENDING. THE UNUSUAL EXPERIENCE IS THAT HE WAS LOOKING FOR "SOMETHING" COULD NOT TELL WHAT THAT "SOMETHING" WAS AND WOULD NOT STOP SEARCHING BOTH INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF THE HOUSE. HE BECAME SO FRUSTRATED THAT HE COULD NOT FIND THIS SOMETHING AND COULD NOT EXPLAIN WHAT HE WAS LOOKING FOR THAT HE STARTED TO CRY. I TOOK HIM TO THE HOSPITAL EMERGENCY ROOM AND THEY DIAGNOSED HIM WITH A TIA. WITH THIS DIAGNOSIS OF TIA STILL WEIGHING ON MY MIND, I TOOK HIM TO SEE A NEUROLOGIST EARLY 2005 WHO DID A PET SCAN AND STATED THAT HE HAS ALZHEIMER'S AND STARTED HIM ON ARICEPT WHICH HE IS STILL TAKING. HIS AGE AT THAT TIME WAS 64. UNTIL NOW HE HAS SHOWN NO SIGNS OR SYMPTOMS OF ALZHEIMER'S HE IS VERY SHARP AND ORIENTED; HOWEVER, AT TIMES HE BECOMES VERY QUIET AND WHEN THIS HAPPENS HE SEEMS TO LOOSE HIS APPITITE. HE CANNOT EXPLAIN WHAT HE IS FEELING, HE JUST SAY, "I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS I JUST GET THIS WEIRD FEELING THAT I CANNOT EXPLAIN". HE FORGETS MINOR THINGS INFREQUENTLY. HE WILL BE 70 YEARS OLD IN 7/2010. DO YOU THINK HE INDEED HAS ALZHEIMER'S?

I MENTIONED THE HURRICANE, BACK SURGERIES PLUS THERE WERE OTHER STRESSORS GOING ON DURING THAT TIME, WONDERING IF THOSE EVENTS COULD TRIGGER THE EPISODE HE EXPERIENCED.

SINCERELY,

DORIS.

[Mona Johnson]

Doris, I'm sorry to hear about your husband's experiences. I'm not a healthcare professional, and am no qualified to answer your question. If it were me, I might seek a second opinion. I'm not sure where in Florida you are, but a memory disorders center would be a good place to start.

Good luck and I hope your husband is feeling better.