Behavioral changes observed in Internet addicts

Internet addiction in adolescents has been associated with changes in the brain’s neural networks, which might influence their behavior and development, according to a study that analyzed functional magnetic resonance images, according to the EFE agency.

A British study published in “Plos Mental Health” reviewed a dozen previous studies using neuroimaging data and observed that Internet addiction altered brain signaling related to behavioral control, attention and understanding one’s own emotions.

The authors point out among the limitations of their research that the works reviewed “did not provide clear evidence” that Internet addiction plays a cause-effect role in adolescent brain development.

Research led by University College London suggests that internet addiction among adolescents is associated with altered signaling in brain regions involved in multiple neural networks.

These networks play an important role in controlling our attention, in association with intellectual capacity, working memory, physical coordination and emotional processing, all of which in turn impact mental health.

The results of the image analysis showed alterations in functional connectivity “in numerous brain regions of adolescents with Internet addiction that led to behavioral and developmental changes,” the team of researchers summarizes.

When adolescents with addiction performed activities governed by the brain’s executive control network (behaviors that require attention, planning, decision-making, and impulsivity), these brain regions showed a significant impairment in their ability to work together compared to those of age-matched individuals without addiction.

Functional connectivity was often observed to be altered during tasks requiring introspection and attention. These changes in signaling might mean that these behaviors may become more difficult to perform, potentially affecting development and well-being, Plos Mental Health summarized.

The authors consider that “current responses do nothing more than paint an unfinished picture that does not necessarily present Internet use as overwhelmingly positive or negative.”

The twelve studies reviewed were conducted in China, South Korea and Indonesia. For this reason, the researchers believe that further studies involving more people and a broader population are needed to confirm whether internet addiction changes the way the brain controls behaviours and, therefore, general well-being.

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Terminology is not clear

There is currently no “universal consensus” on the terminology used to describe Internet addiction, which represents another limitation of the study, its authors specify.

Difficulties

Around the world, authors writing on this topic use a wide variety of terminology, such as online gaming addiction, internet addiction, internet gaming disorder or problematic use, and sometimes use them interchangeably, “making it difficult to describe the subtle similarities and differences between them,” the research notes.

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