January 11, 2012

expert reaction to study of internet addiction disorder and abnormal white matter integrity as published in PLoS ONE

This study used neuroimaging to compare normal brains with the brains of people suffering from internet addiction, and identified physical differences between them,

Dr Henrietta Bowden-Jones, Consultant Psychiatrist and Honorary Senior Lecturer, Imperial College London, said:

“This type of research exploring the differences between normal brains and brains of people who suffer from internet addictions is groundbreaking as it makes clear neuroimaging links between internet addiction and other addictions such as alcohol, cocaine and cannabis amongst others.

“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.

“Further studies with larger numbers of subjects are needed to confirm these findings before we can think about reclassifying internet addiction from impulse control disorder into the category of addictions. However, this has now happened in relation to DSM V and pathological gambling.

“It is therefore possible to consider this study as one of the seminal papers in determining how future generations of clinicians will view internet addiction. Furthermore, its findings particularly pertain to areas that control cravings and the ability to manage emotions, both of these play a crucial part in the recovery process during treatment and this discovery will directly impact on the nature of psychological treatment for internet addiction if the findings are replicated.”

Professor Michael Farrell, Director, National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Australia, said:

“Overall this is not a bad piece of work, the limitations are that the study is not controlled, and it’s possible that illicit drugs, alcohol or other caffeine based stimulants might account for the changes.

“The specificity of the disorder IAD is also questionable. However, the authors highlight these limitations and there are not many publications on this topic, so they score for originality.”

‘Abnormal White Matter Integrity in Adolescents with Internet Addiction Disorder: A Tract-Based Spatial Statistics Study’ by Lin, F. et al. published in PLoS ONE on Wednesday 11th January 2012.