Here we have the latest news in the blossoming social networking subdiscipline of neurology, about which we are not entirely kidding, as a team of researchers from University College London has found a possible link between the size of their subjects’ flocks of Facebook friends and the size of certain parts of their brains.

More specifically, the British-based scientists, who published their startling findings in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences, studied brain scans of 125 university students and came away with ideas about how key regions — which the BBC notes are associated with “social interaction, memory and autism” — are connected with, and possibly impacted by, social networking activities, exploring potential offline parallels and implications while they were at it. –KA

BBC:

“We have found some interesting brain regions that seem to link to the number of friends we have — both ‘real’ and ‘virtual’,” said Dr Ryota Kanai, one of the researchers from University College London.

“The exciting question now is whether these structures change over time. This will help us answer the question of whether the internet is changing our brains.”

One region involved is the amygdala, which is associated with memory and emotional responses.

Previous research has shown a link between the volume of grey matter in the amygdala and the size and complexity of real world social networks. Grey matter is the brain tissue where mental processing takes place.

Three other areas of the brain were linked with the size of someone’s online social network but not their tally of real-world friends.

Read more

Dig, Root, Grow

This year, we’re all on shaky ground, and the need for independent journalism has never been greater. A new administration is openly attacking free press — and the stakes couldn’t be higher.

Your support is more than a donation. It helps us dig deeper into hidden truths, root out corruption and misinformation, and grow an informed, resilient community.

Independent journalism like Truthdig doesn't just report the news — it helps cultivate a better future.

Your tax-deductible gift powers fearless reporting and uncompromising analysis. Together, we can protect democracy and expose the stories that must be told.

Dig. Root. Grow. Cultivate a better future.

Donate today.

SUPPORT TRUTHDIG