FT Chronicle

Mobile phones are once considered a threat to health but a study showed a potential benefit from radiation.

Florida scientists discovered that phone radiation actually protected the memories of mice programmed to get Alzheimer’s disease.

They used 96 mice in the experiment, most of which had been genetically altered to build up beta-amyloid plates in their brains, which are a sign of Alzheimer’s disease, as they aged while others were untouched.

All the mice were subjected to an electro-magnetic field generated by a standard phone for two one-hour intervals per day for seven to nine months.

The researchers, led by Professor Gary Arendash, said that if the phone exposure was started when the Alzheimer’s mice were young adults, before signs of memory impairment were apparent, their cognitive ability was protected.

Wherein, they found out that the Alzheimer’s mice performed as well on tests gauging memory and thinking skills as aged mice without dementia.

The memory benefits of phone exposure took months to show up, suggesting that a similar effect in humans would take years.

They say mobile phones emit “high frequency” electro-magnetic waves that are very different because they can have beneficial effects on brain function, such as increasing brain cell activity.

They did carry out autopsies on the mice and found no evidence of abnormal growth in the brains of the Alzheimer’s and also other major organs were seen to be normal.

Rebecca Wood, chief executive of the Alzheimer’s Research Trust, said: “This research has been carried out in mice that mimic some of the symptoms of Alzheimer’s in people, so we don’t know if any similar effects will be seen in humans.

But, the researchers conclude that electro-magnetic field exposure could be an effective, non-invasive and drug-free way to prevent and treat Alzheimer’s disease in humans.

They are currently testing whether different sets of frequencies and strengths might produce a more rapid and greater cognitive benefit.

The study by the Florida Alzheimer’s Disease Research Centre is published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.

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