This Just In: Cell Phones Change Your Brain
The good news? Scientists think they have finally pinpointed the effect that cell phones have on brain function. The bad news? They're not sure whether this is good or bad news. The Swedish Research Council announced findings out of Sweden's Örebro University that claim to have uncovered a specific effect that cell phones can have on the brain -- namely, a correlation between usage and an increase in the amounts of a protein called transthyretin in a user's bloodstream. Now, this isn't necessarily a bad thing, since transthyretin actually comprises part of the fluid that provides a nice little cushion to our brains (when was the last time you heard anyone complain about a cushion surplus?).
Teenagers and children who used cell phones more often were more likely to suffer from headaches and impaired concentration, but researchers didn't want to draw any explicit chains of causality (Chatty teens have a harder time concentrating? You don't say.). The most important finding, though, is simply the revelation that, negative, positive, or neutral, there does seem to be some neurological impact from cell phones.
This study surfaces at a time when concern over the health effects of mobile phones is starting to swell. The World Health Organization is planning to release a study by the end of the year which reportedly draws a link between cell phones and brain tumors, and the US Congress recently held hearings to call attention to the potential danger. Europe, as always, seems to be ahead of the curve: French phones cannot be marketed to children, German low-emission mobiles have a special seal, and the Finnish government wants kids to text, not talk (don't they already do that?).
So the bottom line? Well, uh... we'll have to get back to you on that... via text. [From: Live Science}
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