walaalkis Posted January 12, 2012 11 January 2012 Last updated at 19:42 ET By Helen Briggs Health editor, BBC News website Web addicts have brain changes similar to those hooked on drugs or alcohol, preliminary research suggests. Experts in China scanned the brains of 17 young web addicts and found disruption in the way their brains were wired up. They say the discovery, published in Plos One, could lead to new treatments for addictive behaviour. Internet addiction is a clinical disorder marked by out-of-control internet use. A research team led by Hao Lei of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Wuhan carried out brain scans of 35 men and women aged between 14 and 21. Seventeen of them were classed as having internet addiction disorder (IAD) on the basis of answering yes to questions such as, "Have you repeatedly made unsuccessful efforts to control, cut back or stop Internet use?" Specialised MRI brain scans showed changes in the white matter of the brain - the part that contains nerve fibres - in those classed as being web addicts, compared with non-addicts. There was evidence of disruption to connections in nerve fibres linking brain areas involved in emotions, decision making, and self-control. Dr Hao Lei and colleagues write in Plos One: "Overall, our findings indicate that IAD has abnormal white matter integrity in brain regions involving emotional generation and processing, executive attention, decision making and cognitive control. "The results also suggest that IAD may share psychological and neural mechanisms with other types of substance addiction and impulse control disorders." Prof Gunter Schumann, chair in biological psychiatry at the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College, London, said similar findings have been found in video game addicts. He told the BBC: "For the first time two studies show changes in the neuronal connections between brain areas as well as changes in brain function in people who are frequently using the internet or video games." Commenting on the Chinese study, Dr Henrietta Bowden-Jones, consultant psychiatrist and honorary senior lecturer at Imperial College London, said the research was "groundbreaking". She added: "We are finally been told what clinicians suspected for some time now, that white matter abnormalities in the orbito-frontal cortex and other truly significant brain areas are present not only in addictions where substances are involved but also in behavioural ones such as internet addiction." Interesting findings , this might be something Somalis should watch out . We have large numbers of internet addicts Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nin-Yaaban Posted January 12, 2012 LoL there are couple of full blown addicts here. Anyone with over 15k post counts def fits into that category. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bluelicious Posted January 12, 2012 Loool at internet addicts. So what's only left now is opening a internet rehab place lmao Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nin-Yaaban Posted January 12, 2012 Bluelicious;773333 wrote: Loool at internet addicts. So what's only left now is opening a internet rehab place lmao Its gonna be called "Computer anonymous" Hello, my name is Farax and i am an Internet Addict. Hello, my name is Xaliimo and i am an Internet Addict. LoL Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bluelicious Posted January 12, 2012 Loooooooooooooooool Nin Yaaban Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jacaylbaro Posted January 12, 2012 BS .... Even those doing the research are a bunch of addicts Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Showqi Posted January 12, 2012 Nin-Yaaban;773332 wrote: LoL there are couple of full blown addicts here. Anyone with over 15k post counts def fits into that category. Iyo kuwa 10ka account furty. Si ay u soo noqdaan hadhowto markii la bangareeyo. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
