Study finds cellphone use may fend off effects of Alzheimer's disease
By Donald Melanson 
posted January 10th 2010 10:33AM
posted January 10th 2010 10:33AM
Could cellphone radiation actually be good for you and bad for you at the same time? It might, according to a group of researchers at the University of South Florida, who say that tests on mice suggest that long-term cellphone use might actually help fend off some of the effects of Alzheimer's disease. That, as you might have suspected, is the exact opposite of what the researchers expected to find, and they say that exposure to electromagnetic waves from cellphones could both prevent some of the effects of Alzheimer's if the exposure is introduced in early adulthood, or potentially even reverse some of the impairment among those already memory-impaired. Needless to say, the tests are still in the earliest of stages, but the researchers are apparently planning on modifying the experiment to try to speed up the results, and eventually expand it to include tests on humans. Tests on mice still found cellphones to be an impairement while driving.[Thanks, Antonio]
Perhaps using a cell phone (or even a mouse being around an unknown / blinky / vibrating object) stimulates additional thought processes in the brain ... which could fend off alzheimers?
@klinquist
That would make sense, but I don't know if rats would be interested in a new object for that long. Your hypothesis could be correct, but I think that after they realized that a) this thing wasn't going to eat them, and b) it was going to be around for a long time, they disregarded it.
@BigJayDogg3 true. Hopefully the researchers weren't constantly inserting different phones to make sure the rats got a wide variety of radiation emitted by different handsets.
This does beg the question, however... which fends of alzheimers more, iPhone or Nexus One?
@klinquist
That could be an added feature for phone companies to advertise...
@klinquist
I love "studies" ... They can find out ANYTHING. ..... Downside,upside, etc.
@klinquist lol
@klinquist lol, stupid..
cancer or fend off alzheimers???
http://www.foodconsumer.org/newsite/Non-food/Environment/no_cure_for_alzheimer_s_disease_cell_phones_0901101205.html
"For the study, 96 mice, some of which were normal while others were genetically engineered to contract Alzheimer’s, were set up with antennae in their cages that mimicked the same level of radiation adults are exposed to when using cell phones. For two, one-hour periods each day, the mice were exposed to the radiation; the length of the project itself lasted from 7-9 months."
@Sunil You understand so very little about how research is actually done.
I suggest you use Wikipedia or pick up a text on research design and statistical analysis. Science is not about beliefs, but about finding research based, empirical evidence and the willingness to change what you believe based upon the evidence.
@Dr Yusuf AlKindi : So, would you classify the fake global warming crisis as science or propaganda?
@klinquist
I've seen studies that show low doses of radiation actually trigger the body to better deal with future radiation and cancer so it may be that the low dose gives the body practice to fend off Alzheimer's disease?
@klinquist until you find a Sprint Wireless employee with Alzheimer's and all is called off...
@Dr Yusuf AlKindi
Well, maybe... but beliefs should not be a part of science anyway. That is the issue; beliefs are something outside of science. It is when you take the results of science, and decide what you're going to believe. But as far as science itself, it should be completely neutral. It doesn't even factor. There are hypotheses and theories, but no "beliefs" in the general sense.
And I think we've seen, from recent events, that there are people who have hijacked the almost sacred process of science in order to enforce a BELIEF - in the face of EVIDENCE to the contrary. That is the danger of mixing beliefs/politics with science.
Anyway, in regard to Sunil's comment, one also needs to differentiate between a regular "study" and an actual research project involving actual experimentation. A "study" would be taking a bunch of statistics, and statisticians, and trying to find a correlation and coherently explain it. That could go a bunch of different ways, indeed. But for an experimentally performed research study, I think there's probably more control involved. Is this conclusive? Of course not, and perhaps there are properties at work here that we don't understand right now and are falsely attributing to something else. Hopefully science will figure it out, but maybe not.
@klinquist
Hey Kris, DT here :) Funny catching you on here.
@Dr Yusuf AlKindi
well now, does the wikipedia article discuss how the funding source for the research affects the analysis of the results.
Unfortuntely, almost ALL research suffers from pre-disposed beliefs due to funding. Especially research on things like cellphones, cigarettes etc...
A random once said to me a wee truth, that science today isn't so much science based but income based. The scientist now is more interested in sustaining their mortage than sustaining truths.
@klinquist
Fun and good question. There was an article on engadget some time ago that looked at radiation levels from smartphones. The iPhone was high up the list, nexus one wasn't around then though
@klinquist
Kris loves penis. And this study is bunk I say, bunk.
-Daniel
@MeanSpyvie
Is the mouse model of Alzheimers and what most humans get the same thing? Nobody has a clue. Ok maybe there are clues but nobody has proof.
@Dr Yusuf AlKindi
Thanks Dr Yousf, for your kind suggestions, but I make a living out of Statistical Modeling. Also doing some rsearch into Information Economics.
That is precisely how I know the fallacy of these "paid-for" noises.
@klinquist Trick question, the answer is Droid.
(Side effects often include being assimilated)
>Tests on mice still found cellphones to be an impairement while driving..Lol
@satish yup.... our precious tax dollars.... going to teach mice how to drive....
@Brainy142
Its a university. Few of your precious tax dollars are going to their research. And I find this to be of actual use. I'm sure the original purpose of the study wasn't "lets stick some cellphones in a cage and see if the rats get Alzheimer's!" It was probably something more like what effect does cellphone radiation have on the brain. You know, one of those questions everyone and their mother wants answered.
@BigJayDogg3
Woosh.
Most people won't have Alzheimer's therefore its still bad for the people who don't have it.
And I thought my cell phone was small.
Let's stick our elderlys' heads in the microwave!
Now, designing a tiny mobile phone is hard enough, but how did they get those mice to spend hours a day chatting to each other from across a cage? Or were the phones Twitter-enabled?
11:45: here comes lab guy with food, Realz hungry lulz!
12:00: reaaaaally bored, going on the treadmill.
12:34: @LabMouse2 hey, wanna meet at the water dispenser later?
13:03: here at water dispenser with LabMouse2
13:04: #LabWaterSucks.
@CJ Hehe, you just made my morning with that comment. Excellent!
This just in: magnetic apparel sales down, radiation bracelet sales up.
On a side note, parrots hate phones, and remote controls for that matter.
Hi:
I'm a mouse,the real kind!
I'm really upset with the Verizon's required DATA plan policy !!
whose with me on this???
I don't buy this. Just as with the 'studies' over the effects of eating eggs or butter (good, bad, good, bad, bad, good, bad, good, good) all depending on WHO sponsored the research, this is all about money and not the truth. Either it is to encourage elderly people to use their celllphones more (they don't because they are of a generation that are used to phoning from the comfort of a sofa using the ever trusted landline) or it is to counter the other ill effects and therefore encourage consumers to consider that for all the possible downsides, there MAY be an upside. I have it from an industry insider that over time, over exposure to cellphone radiation will harm whichever part of the body receives the most radiation for the longest. Ear lobes, eyes (if possible), brain, gonads and other sensitive areas of the body. It's all common sense really. Learn your biology and some basic physics and as they say, do the math.
@Oflife
Old people? pfft. This is OBVIOUSLY a preventative measure. One must start at ~18 to get the full effects.
Prevent Alzheimer's by increasing the risk of cancer?
@MikeZ your more likely to get cancer from smoking a natural medicinal herb, but hey its more likely your going to die from an auto accident whilst on the phone
@(Unverified)
I love that you used "whilst" but still managed to use the wrong "your/you're" x2.
@yoursenileaunt iPhone 4G: Don't forget shit!
So uh... who want's to be the first to string some old person up to a cell phone tower and see what happens?
My question is, where did those mice get cell phones in their size?
Looks like someone needs some Cinco Cooling Gel. http://video.adultswim.com/tim-and-eric-awesome-show-great-job/cinco-fone-pt-2.html
@klinquist
More likely the microwaves are somewhat resolubilising the amyloid formations. Perhaps the energy from the microwaves is causing thermal disruption of fibrils at a global scale (but obviously not enough to cook your brain). Perhaps they're speciifically interacting with the constituant ploypeptides, causing them to refold on a local scale. Perhaps the microwaves have a similar frequncy to the natural resonance of the amyloid fibril structures and thus they accumulate more energy than ordinary tissue. It's certainly intruiging.
@elmer
If true, then a histologic section or an IP should show aggregate reduction, and both are simple. Constant low-level exposure might also stimulate microglia and enhance immunologic culling of affected neurons. If so, GFP fused to a microglia-specific promoter should show increased activation under confocal.
"Can you hear me now?"
"Can I hear who?"
"Can you hear me now?"
"Who ARE you?"
"Can you hear me now?"
"Oh, hey Jim."
"Tests on mice still found cellphones to be an impairement while driving."
How did they get mice to phone and drive?
@Shawin
I think that 'might' have been engadget having a little joke... They obviously overestimated their target audience.
i think they mean the weel where the mice runs , you know... plus bluetooth headset.... ! I don't get it with those studys i mean half are saying phones are harmless half saying they will kill us and now it will cure us ? Yeah right...
Junk science...
I thought the driving bit was a joke
I'm just wondering when are people gonna stop wasting their time and money on this. Even if talking on a cell phone causes cancer, people will still do it. We have adopted cell phones into our culture, and it's really hard to just take it out. No matter how much all these "researches" try to scare you, people most likely won't just stop using cell phones. Just like that research that came out and said that eating fast food can cause cancer. Well.. I'm glad to see that stopped..