Frequent Mobile Phone Use May "Slow Brain Activity"

Cell phones may not give you cancer, but according to one new study published in the International Journal of Neuroscience, they may make you, well, a little slow. The new study, from a multinational group of scientists, tested just 300 people (a major problem with the research), and found that "frequent mobile phone users" had better concentration and an ability to focus, but also showed more "slow activity," a technical term related to the type of sluggish brain activity and dementia seen in Alzheimer's patients.

The news isn't all terrible: The study calls these "slow activity" changes "subtle," and a much larger study of 20,000 people is underway in an attempt to replicate the findings on a broader, more reliable scale. As well, frequent mobile phone use has actually shown improved cognitive performance in some tests, probably, the researchers say, because the users have learned to tune out distractions and multitask in order to concentrate on their phone calls. The study is also careful to note that such slowness is still within the normal range of brain activity: Even if heavy mobile users are being affected, the degree of the brain slowing isn't going to turn you into a vegetable.

It's probably nothing to get worked up about, but it's interesting research nonetheless. As larger-scale studies continue, I'll be very curious to see if these findings hold up or if, like so many "cell phones are killing us" studies before it, it all turns out to be much ado about nothing.

LINK: ‘Slowed Brain-activity' in frequent mobile phone users