Internet addiction damages brain 'just like drugs'(Read it if you are addicted to internet) ~ Technology Update

How much time do you spend in internet? One hour a day, two hours a day or whole day! Internet addiction may be a disease and it may cause severe damage Internet addiction disorder may be associated with abnormal white matter structure in the brain and may be as fatal as craving for drugs, researchers say.

Previous studies of Internet addiction disorder (IAD), which is characterized by an individual's inability to control his or her Internet use, have mostly focused on psychological questionnaires.

Internet addiction

The current study, on the other hand, uses an MRI technique to investigate specific features of the brain in 18 adolescents suffering from IAD.

The researchers, led by Hao Lei of the ChineseAcademy of Sciences in Wuhan, found that IAD is characterized by impairment of white matter fibres connecting brain regions involved in emotional generation and processing, executive attention, decision making, and cognitive control.

They also suggested that IAD may share psychological and neural mechanisms with other types of impulse control disorders and substance addiction.

The study has been published in the online journal PLoS ONE. To check whether you are interned addict or not please click the link below!!! Click here to test the internet addiction test !!!