Study - internet dependency alters the human brain

[Shiloh]

Source: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/sc...n-6288344.html

Addicted! Scientists show how internet dependency alters the human brain
Jeremy Laurance
Thursday 12 January 2012

Internet addiction has for the first time been linked with changes in the brain similar to those seen in people addicted to alcohol, cocaine and cannabis. In a groundbreaking study, researchers used MRI scanners to reveal abnormalities in the brains of adolescents who spent many hours on the internet, to the detriment of their social and personal lives. The finding could throw light on other behavioural problems and lead to the development of new approaches to treatment, researchers said...

[Shiloh]

Re: Internet addiction

Source: http://health.usnews.com/health-news...ns-connections

Could Internet Addiction Disrupt Brain's Connections?
Small Chinese study found abnormalities in white matter in brains of teenage Web junkies
January 12, 2012 RSS Feed Print

By Randy Dotinga
HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 11 (HealthDay News) -- A small Chinese study suggests that the brains of teenagers who are seemingly addicted to the Internet have abnormal "white matter," the biological insulation that surrounds the wiring between neurons.

It's not clear if this difference could cause Internet addiction or actually be caused by it. And the research doesn't point to a treatment or cure for Internet addiction, a controversial diagnosis that the mental health community hasn't universally accepted...

[sharon sanders]

Re: Internet addiction

When reading this study I think we have to keep in mind that China does not really want their population on the internet. They have shut down millions of sites in the last 2 years. They have also detained many bloggers.

China activist Wang Lihong jailed for 9 months for being found guilty of "stirring up trouble"

[Laidback Al]

Re: Internet addiction

Microstructure Abnormalities in Adolescents with Internet Addiction Disorder

Kai Yuan, Wei Qin, Guihong Wang, Fang Zeng, Liyan Zhao, Xuejuan Yang, Peng Liu, Jixin Liu, Jinbo Sun, Karen M. von Deneen, Qiyong Gong, Yijun Liu, Jie Tian

Background

Recent studies suggest that internet addiction disorder (IAD) is associated with structural abnormalities in brain gray matter. However, few studies have investigated the effects of internet addiction on the microstructural integrity of major neuronal fiber pathways, and almost no studies have assessed the microstructural changes with the duration of internet addiction.

Methodology/Principal Findings

We investigated the morphology of the brain in adolescents with IAD (N = 18) using an optimized voxel-based morphometry (VBM) technique, and studied the white matter fractional anisotropy (FA) changes using the diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) method, linking these brain structural measures to the duration of IAD. We provided evidences demonstrating the multiple structural changes of the brain in IAD subjects. VBM results indicated the decreased gray matter volume in the bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), the supplementary motor area (SMA), the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), the cerebellum and the left rostral ACC (rACC). DTI analysis revealed the enhanced FA value of the left posterior limb of the internal capsule (PLIC) and reduced FA value in the white matter within the right parahippocampal gyrus (PHG). Gray matter volumes of the DLPFC, rACC, SMA, and white matter FA changes of the PLIC were significantly correlated with the duration of internet addiction in the adolescents with IAD.

Conclusions

Our results suggested that long-term internet addiction would result in brain structural alterations, which probably contributed to chronic dysfunction in subjects with IAD. The current study may shed further light on the potential brain effects of IAD.

http://www.plosone.org/article/info:...l.pone.0020708