There’s been a lot of buzz about this JAMA study demonstrating that the radiation from cell phones activates some brain regions (Read the WSJ’s story about the research). But it’s unclear whether this cell-phone induced increase in brain activity is harmful or helpful.

Of course, many people are worried about potential negative health effects, and more research is needed to determine whether there’s any kind of long-term safety issue from repeated cell phone use, says Nora Volkow, the first author on the study and head of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, who says she’s switched to using a wired earpiece for the time being.

But if there aren’t harmful effects, the ability to induce brain activity could actually be a good thing. Cell phones potentially could be used therapeutically, as a non-invasive tool to interact with brain rhythms or stimulate parts of the brain that aren’t working optimally, according to Reto Huber, a professor at the University Children’s Hospital Zurich who also has studied electromagnetic fields and cell phone use but wasn’t involved with the new JAMA study.

There are already brain stimulation techniques for depression, like electroconvulsive therapy (ECT, aka shock therapy) and transcranial magnetic stimulation, or TMS.  The amount of additional brain activity induced by cell phones — about 7% to 8% — is on par with the amount of increased brain activity currently induced by TMS, according to Volkow. So perhaps one day cell phones could be hand-held brain stimulation devices, she says.