Internet Addiction Linked to Changes in Brain

Researchers found that teens addicted to the internet had less “white matter” in key areas of the brain that control decision making.

A new Chinese study has found that teens addicted to the internet have abnormal amounts of “white matter” in key areas of the brain.

Researchers at Jiao Tong University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences scanned the brains of 17 teens and young adults appearing to suffer from Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD). Although not yet recognized as a medical condition, IAD is considered to be an inability to control internet use that causes social or behavioral problems or interferes with work or school.

Participants in the study reported being frustrated with repeated failures to control their internet use, and said they felt “moody” or “depressed” when they tried to cut back on their online usage. Brain scans of the “addicted” teens were compared to the MRI scans of 16 “healthy” teens of similar age and gender. Both groups were asked to fill out lengthy questionnaires about their social and emotional relationships.

The scientists found that the teens with an alleged internet addiction had impaired “white matter” connecting the parts of their brains in charge of decision making and judgment. White matter contains brain cell fibers that transfer signals between different parts of the brain. Compared with the healthy teens, the IAD group had significantly reduced white matter density in 22 regions of the brain.

The diagnosis of internet addiction is a controversial topic in the field of mental health. Although many mental health professionals diverge in opinion on IAD, the new research appears to make sense to Gordon Harris, PhD, a professor of radiology at Harvard Medical School who has focused on studying alcoholism and the brain.

“I think in terms of internet addiction, whether it be people spending time on Facebook, playing video games or other behaviors, people do have the possibility of developing addictions similar to food, sex and gambling,” Harris told American News Report in a phone interview.

Harris said this could be especially true of younger people, in which areas of the brain involved in judgment and decision making may not have yet reached maturation.

“It may be that people who have some of those decreased developments in white matter may be more prone to develop addictive behaviors,” said Harris.

Harris said activities like gaming can stimulate the pleasure centers of the brain, what scientists refer to as “reward” centers, similar to the way in which dopamine and other substances are released by the brain when people take drugs and other stimulants.

“Games are designed to hook you in and stimulate you,” he said, adding one of the subjects in his research team found he had to stop engaging in internet gaming and admitted to experiencing withdrawal upon stopping.

Harries added it is hard for kids to spend the time on homework and other activities because they are constantly being stimulated by texting, gaming and other forms of electronic stimulation.

The study findings were published in the journal PLoS One.