“I think it’s very possible” that technology alters the brain, said Kirk Erickson, principal investigator of the Brain Aging & Cognition Health Lab at the University of Pittsburgh. “There’s many different brain areas that get engaged.”The prefrontal cortex, which resides in the frontal lobe, controls personality, cognition and social behavior. Too much technology use also shrinks the outermost part of the brain, making it more difficult to process information. It’s difficult to pin down exactly which environmental or hereditary factors change brain composition, so research on brain development and technology use is ongoing. “I think technology is becoming a necessity in most everyday lives,” Shramuk said.