Cellphone use during pregnancy linked to ADHD

Another caution has been added to the list of concerns around cellphone radiation, following a recent study that shows it may be linked to hyperactivity in children.
Yale School of Medicine researchers last week released a study that extrapolates the use of cellphones during pregnancy affects the brain development of offspring, which in turn may lead to behavioural disorders resembling attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
The results of Yale's empirical procedure, involving the use of pregnant mice exposed to radiation, were published in the 15 March edition of Scientific Reports, a nature publication. The report describes how the team of researchers exposed pregnant mice to radiation from a cellphone, muted and silenced, positioned above their cage. The phone was placed on an active phone call for the duration of the trial. Another cage of mice, a “control group” was kept under the same conditions, but with a deactivated cellphone.
The team then measured electrical brain activity of adult mice that had been exposed to radiation as foetuses and conducted behavioural and psychological tests. They found the group of mice that had had prenatal exposure to radiation were more hyperactive and had reduced memory capacity.
The report attributes this to an effect during pregnancy on the development of neurons in the prefrontal cortex region of the brain. “The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is responsible for executive functions by screening distractions and maintaining attention in goal-oriented behaviours. Impairment of the PFC leads to dysregulated behaviour/emotion such as ADHD.”
Mice and men
While their research established a link between prenatal cellphone radiation and ADHD-like symptoms in laboratory mice, the authors say further experiments need to be conducted to determine a parallel human result.
“We present the first experimental evidence of neuropathology due to in-utero cellulartelephone radiation. Further experiments are needed in humans or non-human primates to determine the risk of exposure during pregnancy.”
The report, however, reiterates that, while “the direct effects of radio frequency radiation exposure on neurodevelopment remain unknown” and results are difficult to translate precisely into human vulnerability, it is worth heeding the findings.
“The significant trend between the groups treated for 0, 9, 15, and 24 hours/day demonstrates that the effects are directly proportional to usage time, and suggests that safety limits, particularly for pregnant women, can be established.”
Authors of the report, including Dr Hugh S Taylor, Tamir Aldad, Geliang Gan and Xiao-Bing Gao, remark in their opening statement that the association is significant, “given the increasing number of cellular phone users worldwide, reaching approximately four billion as of December 2008.”
Article courtesy of It Web, by Bonnie Tubbs. www.itweb.co.za