Using smartphones, tablets, laptops and other media devices could alter our brain structure.

New University of Sussex research suggests that people who use multiple media devices simultaneously have lower grey-matter density in a specific area of the brain, in comparison to those who only use one device occasionally.

Neuroscientists Kep Kee Loh and Dr. Ryota Kanai explain that their study shows an association rather than causality between such usage and alteration of the brain, requiring a long-term study to help understand whether a high level of simultaneous media usage leads to changes in brain structure, or whether people with less-dense grey matter are more likely to media multi-task.

“Media multitasking is becoming more prevalent in our lives today and there is increasing concern about its impacts on our cognition and social-emotional well-being. Our study was the first to reveal links between media multitasking and brain structure,” said Loh in a statement.

In this current study, the brain structures of 75 study participants were looked at via functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). All participants also answered a questionnaire that asked about their use of media devices.

The researchers found that those who used more media devices at the same time for a prolonged period had smaller grey matter density in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), which is the part of the brain that’s responsible for emotional control and cognitive functions.

Previous studies have shown that brain structure can be changed through excessive exposure to certain experiences and environments. Our behaviors, emotions and activities can change the neural pathways in the brain at a cellular level or cortical re-mapping.

Other studies have revealed that specific types of training – such as drivers reading maps or people learning to juggle – can boost grey-matter densities in certain areas of the brain.