Internet overuse can damage brain — China researchers

Like all other addictions, too much Internet can be bad for your health, with a study by China-based researchers suggesting it can cause structural brain damage.   The study of 17 adolescents with Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD) showed impairment similar to that caused by gambling and alcoholism, tech site Mashable said.   In the study, researchers found structural and functional interference in the part of the brain that regulates organization - possibly causing cognitive impairment.   “Overall, our findings indicate that Internet addiction disorder has abnormal white matter integrity in brain regions involved in emotional generation and processing, executive attention, decision making and cognitive control,” Mashable quoted the authors as saying.   The researchers added the results also suggest that IAD may share psychological and neural mechanisms with other types of substance addiction and impulse control disorders.   White matter is composed of nerve cells, while the gray matter are cell bodies.   Myelin, a type of fat in the white part of the brain, insulates the white matter in the brain and makes the transmission speed between nerve signals fast.   A fractional anisotropy of MRI scans of the subjects to measure organization in the brain by locating the presence of white matter showed the teens in the study diagnosed with Internet addiction showed lower FA than the typical teens, the Mashable report said.   But it also noted the study only tested 17 young people with IAD and compared them against 16 healthy control subjects.   Mashable also noted Internet addiction is not officially recognized as a disorder because it has yet to be classified in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).   However, it said the American Journal of Psychiatry says IAD is common.   Mashable said symptoms from the American Journal of Psychiatry’s article about Internet addiction include:   - excessive use, often associated with a loss of sense of time or a neglect of basic drives - withdrawal, including feelings of anger, tension and/or depression when the computer is inaccessible - tolerance, including the need for better computer equipment, more software or more hours of use - negative repercussions, including arguments, lying, poor achievement, social isolation and fatigue.   IAD is expected to be included the DSM-V due for release in May 2013. — ELR, GMA News