Study finds gamers to have a different brain structure
Increased activity levels in areas of the brain that are linked to reward
Researchers have found that teenagers who spend a lot of time with video games have different structures and activity levels in areas of the brain that are linked to reward. This suggests they get "more" out of gaming than people who tend to play less.
In a study published in the Translational Psychiatry journal, researchers analyzed MRI scans of more than 150 14-year-olds who played video-games either moderately or a lot, and found the frequent gamers had a higher volume of grey matter in a key part of their brains.The average weekly usage in this experiment was around 12 hours a week.
"The burning question is whether the structural difference [in the brain] is a change caused by the frequent game play, or whether individual differences in this system naturally dispose some people to more excessive play," said Luke Clark of Cambridge University's department of Experimental Psychology.
While the German researchers found keen gamers had structural differences in their brains compared to those who played less frequently, they were not able to say whether this was a cause of eagerness to play video-games or a change that had come about as a result of their habit.
In a study published in the Translational Psychiatry journal, researchers analyzed MRI scans of more than 150 14-year-olds who played video-games either moderately or a lot, and found the frequent gamers had a higher volume of grey matter in a key part of their brains.The average weekly usage in this experiment was around 12 hours a week.
"The burning question is whether the structural difference [in the brain] is a change caused by the frequent game play, or whether individual differences in this system naturally dispose some people to more excessive play," said Luke Clark of Cambridge University's department of Experimental Psychology.
While the German researchers found keen gamers had structural differences in their brains compared to those who played less frequently, they were not able to say whether this was a cause of eagerness to play video-games or a change that had come about as a result of their habit.
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