Study: Internet Addiction Destroys the Brain as Alcohol or Drugs

A group of Chinese experts found that in the brains of people suffering from dependence on the Internet, there are the same changes as those who become addicted to alcohol and drugs.

Scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences conducted a magnetic resonance imaging of the brain in 35 people aged 14 to 21 years.

In 17 of them were identified Internet addiction these people responded positively to the question “Do you have made repeated and unsuccessful attempts to control their Internet use, to reduce or even stop it?”.

As a result of brain scans in these patients and compare the results with imaging of healthy people were found distinct changes in the white matter. In particular, the violation of the mechanisms of neural tissue, responsible for emotions, decision making and self-control.

 One head of research group Hao Lei wrote in the journal Plos,

Our results indicate that Internet addiction can have the same psychological and neural mechanisms, as in dependency or substance disorders, impulse control

According to Professor Gunter Schumann from London’s Kings College, similar processes have previously been identified in the brains of people who suffer from addiction to video games.

Looking for new research

These two studies demonstrate for the first time changes in nerve connections between different brain regions, as well as changes in the brain in people who frequently play video games or using the Internet

In turn, a psychiatrist from London’s Imperial College, Henrietta Bowden-Jones called the results of Chinese studies,

very significant

The doctor said,

Finally got confirmation of what doctors suspected for a long time,  Disturbances in the white matter in the prefrontal cortex and other important areas of the brain occurs not only in the case when it comes to substance abuse, but also with behavioral disorders, such as Internet addiction. 

However, according to Bowden-Jones, for final confirmation of these findings, further studies with more patients.

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Posted by Ibrahim on January 12, 2012. Filed under Articles, Health, Life Style. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry