14 DAY TRIAL // According to the conclusions of a new investigation carried out by experts at the Yale School of Medicine, it would appear that mothers who expose themselves to radiations from cell phones during pregnancy are very likely to have children whose brain development is impaired.
In the March 15 issue of the Nature journal Scientific Reports, the team says that this type of exposure may be one of the leading causes of hyperactivity in children today. The condition, known as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), is very widespread today.
This research is the first ever to provide quantifiable evidences to support such a link. “Fetal exposure to radiofrequency radiation from cellular telephones does in fact affect adult behavior,” explains Dr. Hugh S. Taylor, the senior author of the research.
The expert holds an appointment as a professor and chief of the Yale Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences' Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility.
The study was conducted on pregnant mice. The unsuspecting rodents were exposed to radiations from muted and silenced cell phones, which were installed on top of their cages, and were set to receive incoming calls throughout the duration of the study.
Mice in the control group were subjected to the same conditions, except the cell phones on their cages were deactivated, e! Science News reports. After the pregnant mice gave birth, and their offspring matured, researchers measured their neural activity patterns.
They also subjected the mice to a series of behavioral and psychological tests. On average, mice in the test group were a lot more hyperactive, and less likely to display good memories, than mice from the control group. A region of the brain called the prefrontal cortex was the most severely affected.
Interestingly enough, this is the same area of the brain that is affected in humans when they develop ADHD. Inattention and hyperactivity are the primary symptoms of this condition.
“We have shown that behavioral problems in mice that resemble ADHD are caused by cell phone exposure in the womb. The rise in behavioral disorders in human children may be in part due to fetal cellular telephone irradiation exposure,” Taylor explains.
“Cell phones were used in this study to mimic potential human exposure but future research will instead use standard electromagnetic field generators to more precisely define the level of exposure,” adds first study author, Tamir Aldad.