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Internet Addiction's Impact On Teen Brains
Researchers in China who examined the brain scans of 18 teens diagnosed with Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD) with those of 18 non-addicted teens found differences in white matter density in over 20 brain zones. A report on their studies was released online in the 11 January issue of PLoS ONE.
All the contributors had a brain scan from which the analysts assessed the density and composition of the white matter. White matter consists of fibers that carry the signals various parts of the brain use to communicate with each another.
The scientists, who came from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and other research centers in China, also examined a range of behavioral features such as addiction, anxiety, emotional disorder, social relationships, family functioning and time management and compared the results from the group recognized with IAD with the non-IAD group.
They observed the contributors in the IAD group performed less well in some of the behavioral examination, includings an supplemental measure of addiction, a questionnaire that assesses emotional conduct and problems in relationships, and a measure that screens for anxiety-relevant psychological disorders.
Also, when the research workers compared brain zones they observed to be different between the groups with the results of their behavioral examination, they noticed that even worse (ie less "healthy") scores on two of the behavioral measures were linked to lower white matter density in two specific brain zones.
The researchers conclude that their studies show IAD is "characterised by impairment of white matter fibres joining brain regions engaged in emotional generation and digesting, executive consideration, choice making and cognitive control".
At this level we might wrongly assume that because the scientists identified a link between IAD and brain changes, that it was the former that led to the latter.
However, we should keep in mind that this is a a cross-sectional research: the researchers had taken a "snapshot" at one point in time. They did not follow the contributors over a period and they did not identify what their brain structures were like before they became "addicted" to the internet. So we don't know if the brain changes were already present beforehand and so we can't rule out whether they led to or contributed to the addiction.
There are two other factors to be careful about interpreting these results:
First of all, the number of contributors is modest, and while the results may show "statistical significance", we should possibly regard them as tentative.
Secondly, internet addiction is a rather new disorder, and while more research are appearing using the term, it is not clearly described and globally recognized. For instance it is not bundled in the current edition of the "bible" of psychological disorders, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V).
Nevertheless, assessing from the reactions of other experts interviewed by the media this week, it seems the findings are intriguing enough to warrant further investigation, using larger groups, and comparing for example, contributors with IAD with daily internet users who do not have IAD.
All the contributors had a brain scan from which the analysts assessed the density and composition of the white matter. White matter consists of fibers that carry the signals various parts of the brain use to communicate with each another.
The scientists, who came from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and other research centers in China, also examined a range of behavioral features such as addiction, anxiety, emotional disorder, social relationships, family functioning and time management and compared the results from the group recognized with IAD with the non-IAD group.
They observed the contributors in the IAD group performed less well in some of the behavioral examination, includings an supplemental measure of addiction, a questionnaire that assesses emotional conduct and problems in relationships, and a measure that screens for anxiety-relevant psychological disorders.
Also, when the research workers compared brain zones they observed to be different between the groups with the results of their behavioral examination, they noticed that even worse (ie less "healthy") scores on two of the behavioral measures were linked to lower white matter density in two specific brain zones.
The researchers conclude that their studies show IAD is "characterised by impairment of white matter fibres joining brain regions engaged in emotional generation and digesting, executive consideration, choice making and cognitive control".
At this level we might wrongly assume that because the scientists identified a link between IAD and brain changes, that it was the former that led to the latter.
However, we should keep in mind that this is a a cross-sectional research: the researchers had taken a "snapshot" at one point in time. They did not follow the contributors over a period and they did not identify what their brain structures were like before they became "addicted" to the internet. So we don't know if the brain changes were already present beforehand and so we can't rule out whether they led to or contributed to the addiction.
There are two other factors to be careful about interpreting these results:
First of all, the number of contributors is modest, and while the results may show "statistical significance", we should possibly regard them as tentative.
Secondly, internet addiction is a rather new disorder, and while more research are appearing using the term, it is not clearly described and globally recognized. For instance it is not bundled in the current edition of the "bible" of psychological disorders, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V).
Nevertheless, assessing from the reactions of other experts interviewed by the media this week, it seems the findings are intriguing enough to warrant further investigation, using larger groups, and comparing for example, contributors with IAD with daily internet users who do not have IAD.
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