Shafaqna English- Young adults who spend at least an hour a day watching short-form videos show differences in how brain regions communicate at rest, according to a new study published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. Researchers caution that the findings do not establish whether frequent short-video use causes these changes or whether the differences have positive or negative effects, according to PsyPost.
Researchers from China studied 55 healthy adults with an average age of 21.6. Participants were divided according to their reported daily short-video use: 20 people watched for less than an hour per day, while 35 reported between one and three hours.
Using functional MRI scans taken while participants were resting, the researchers examined activity within individual brain regions and communication between major brain networks.
The higher-use group showed stronger connectivity across networks involved in movement, sensory processing, hearing, vision, attention, cognitive control and internally directed thought. Differences were particularly pronounced in sensorimotor, auditory, subcortical and cingulo-opercular networks.
The researchers also observed higher spontaneous activity in the left precentral gyrus, a region involved in movement and sensorimotor processing, while activity was lower in part of the right inferior frontal gyrus, which contributes to behavioral control.
At the whole-brain level, frequent short-video users showed greater measures of network efficiency and clustering, with shorter communication pathways between brain regions. The authors suggest that repeated exposure to rapidly changing audiovisual content could be associated with adaptations in systems involved in sensory processing and attention.
However, the researchers stress that greater connectivity or efficiency should not automatically be interpreted as brain damage. Similar patterns have been associated in some research with cognitive abilities such as intelligence and working memory.
The study also did not test whether participants with greater short-video use actually performed better or worse on attention, memory or other cognitive tasks. As a result, it remains unclear whether the observed brain-network differences represent beneficial adaptation, a potential vulnerability, or simply a characteristic associated with heavier use.
The findings should also be interpreted cautiously because the study was relatively small and observational. Factors such as recent phone use, caffeine, nicotine and the time of day when brain scans were performed may have influenced the results.
The researchers say future studies combining brain imaging with direct measures of cognition and longer-term follow-up will be needed to determine whether frequent short-video consumption produces lasting changes in brain function—or whether people with certain brain characteristics are simply more likely to use these platforms heavily.
Source: PsyPost