Do Cell Phones Affect Brain Glucose Metabolism?

The potential health effects of exposure to radiofrequency signals generated by cell phone use is a growing concern, but studies of harmful effects and of changes in cerebral blood flow induced by this exposure have yielded mixed results. This is a first assessment of the influence of cell phone use on glucose metabolism in the brain. The authors positioned cell phones on the left and right ears of 47 healthy participants. Using positron emission tomography (PET) with (¹⁸F)fluorodeoxyglucose uptake, the researchers assessed participants' brain glucose metabolism on two visits, once after only the right cell phone was activated (receiving a call with the sound muted) for 50 minutes and once after both cell phones were deactivated.

Exposure to…