In today’s episode of It Came From Science, researchers in China have found that gaming and internet addiction literally damages the way people’s brains are wired up. That explains a lot of things, like Dota and Reddit.

The team scanned the brains of 35 young men and women aged 14-21, seventeen of whom were already diagnosed with Internet addiction disorder (IAD). The MRI scans showed differences between the brains of addicts and non-addicts, significantly in the white matter of the brain which contains nerve fibres. In addicts, there was evidence of disruption in those nerve fibres linking the brain areas controlling emotions, decision making, and self-control.

“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,” reported lead researcher Dr Hao Lei.

“The results also suggest that IAD may share psychological and neural mechanisms with other types of substance addiction and impulse control disorders.”

Speaking to the BBC, Professor Gunter Schumann of the King’s College Institute of Psychiatry in London, said the findings are consistent with those seen in game addicts.

“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,” he explained.

I know I should probably feel shocked or concerned or something, but I just don’t feel anything anymore.

Source: BBC