Research reveals how the Internet can change the brain

An international team of researchers from Western Sydney University, Harvard University, Kings College, Oxford University and the University of Manchester have discovered that the Internet can produce acute and lasting alterations in specific areas of cognition, likely to reflect changes in the brain affecting our attention. capabilities, memory processes and social interactions.

In a first review of its kind, published in Global Psychiatry – the world's largest research journal in psychiatry, the researchers examined the main hypotheses on how the Internet could modify cognitive processes, and then examined the extent to which these hypotheses were corroborated by recent research findings in psychology, psychiatry and neuroimaging.

The Comprehensive Report, led by Dr. Joseph Firth, Principal Investigator at Western Sydney University's NICM Health Research Institute and Honorary Researcher at the University of Manchester, combined evidence to produce revised models of how the Internet could affect the structure brain function and cognitive development.

"The key findings of this report are that high levels of Internet use could indeed impact many brain functions – for example, the unlimited flow of prompts and notifications emanating from The Internet encourages us to constantly hold divided attention in turn can diminish our ability to stay focused on a single task, "said Dr. Firth.

"In addition, the online world is now presenting us with a one-of-a-kind resource that is vast and permanently accessible, with facts and information that can never boil down to just a few clicks.

"Since we literally have most of the world's factual information at hand, they seem to have the potential to start changing the way we store, and even value, the facts and knowledge in society and in society. the brain."

The recent introduction and widespread adoption of these technologies online, as well as social media, also worries some teachers and parents. The World Health Organization's 2018 guidelines recommended that young children (aged 2-5) be exposed to one hour per day or less of screen time. However, the report also revealed that the vast majority of research on the effects of the Internet on the brain had been conducted in adults. It is therefore necessary to continue research to determine the pros and cons of using the Internet in young people.

According to Dr. Firth, although additional research is needed, avoiding potential negative effects could be as simple as ensuring that children do not miss out on other crucial developmental activities, such as social interactions. and exercise, spending too much time on digital devices.

"To help with this, there are now a multitude of applications and software available to limit the use of the Internet and access to smartphones and computers – what parents and parents Supporting people can use to set "family-friendly" rules around time spent on the personal computer, as well as the types of content used, "he said.

"At the same time, it is also important to talk to children about how their online lives affect them, in order to identify children at risk of cyberbullying, addiction or even exploitation, and thus to enable a quick response to avoid adverse consequences. "

Professor Jerome Sarris, deputy director and director of research at the NICM Health Research Institute at Western Sydney University and lead author of the report, worries about the potential consequences of a growing use of the Internet on the brain.

"The bombardment of stimuli via the Internet, and the resulting shared attention, are the subject of many concerns," said Professor Sarris.

"I think that, with the #Instagram growing society, has the ability to change both the structure and functioning of the brain, while potentially changing our social fabric.

"In order to minimize the potential adverse effects of a high-intensity multitasking Internet use, I suggest a practice of mindfulness and focus, as well as the use of techniques". Hygiene on the Internet "(eg reduction of online multitasking, ritual" verification "behaviors and evening online activity, while engaging more in in-person interactions)," said Professor Sarris.

Co-author and director of the digital psychiatry program at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and clinical researcher at Harvard Medical School, Dr. John Torous added, "The findings in this article underscore how much we need to learn about the disease. the impact of our digital world on mental health and brain health There are certainly new potential benefits for some aspects of health, but we need to balance them against potential risks. "

Dr. Josh Firth, researcher at Oxford and co-author of the study, added: "It is clear that the internet has radically altered the possibilities for social interactions and contexts in which social relations can take place, so it's essential to understand the potential that the online world is actually changing our social functioning and determining which aspects of our social behavior will change and which ones will not change. "