Study Shows Internet addiction changes brain similar to cocaine
Posted by Dexter Nelson: Thursday, January 12, 2012 (12:29 PM)

Study Shows Internet addiction changes brain similar to cocaine

I found this story very interesting because i am an avid Internet user being a developer and operating a home-based business. CBS asks, "Can a person truly be addicted to the Internet?"

The answer was very surprising.

A new brain scan study shows not only can that be the case, but also that internet addiction might cause the same brain changes that are seen in alcoholics and drug addicts.

For the study, published in the Jan. 11 issue of PLoS One, researchers studied 17 men and women who were diagnosed with internet addiction disorder (IAD) and compared scans of their brains to scans of 16 healthy people who weren't addicted to the web. Study participants were between the ages of 14 and 21 and lived in China.

The researchers found more patterns of  "abnormal white matter" on brain scans of internet addicts, compared with scans of non-addicts. White matter areas in the brain contain nerve fibers that transmit signals to other parts of the brain.

These changes showed evidence of disrupting pathways related to emotions, decision-making, and self control.

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