Tex messaging has become the most basic form of communication and we all take it for granted. Now a new study shows that just by sending a text you trigger a totally new and different brain rhythm!
People communicate increasingly via text messaging, though little is known on the neurological effects of smartphone use. To find out more about how our brains work during textual communication using smartphones, a team led by Mayo Clinic researcher William Tatum analyzed data from 129 patients. Their brain waves were monitored over a period of 16 months through electroencephalograms (EEGs) combined with video footage.
Dr. Tatum, professor of neurology and director of the epilepsy monitoring unit and epilepsy center at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida found a unique 'texting rhythm' in approximately 1 in 5 patients who were using their smartphone to text message while having their brain waves monitored.
The researchers asked patients to perform activities such as message texting, finger tapping and audio cellular telephone use in addition to tests of attention and cognitive function. Only text messaging produced the newly observed brain rhythm, which was different than any previously described brain rhythm.
The blue boxes show the texting rhythm present in a 22-year old patient who is texting with her right hand.
"We believe this new rhythm is an objective metric of the brain's ability to process non-verbal information during use of electronic devices and that it is heavily connected to a widely distributed network augmented by attention or emotion," Dr. Tatum commented.
This research was mainly done to address the issue of texting and driving. If there is the slightest chance that this new brain rhythm can influence your driving skills while texting, then we should certainly pay more attention to it.
source - sciencedaily.com