It may be something many parents have already suspected, but it appears the brains of teenage boys who play video game compulsively are wired differently to other players. Researchers have found people who play a lot of computer games tend to have hyperconnectivity between several key brain networks.
This is thought to help them respond to new information, but can also lead to them being easily distracted and having a more impulsive nature. The findings could help researchers who are hoping to explore the impact that spending excessive amounts of time in front of a screen can have on youngsters.
Many leading neuroscientists, including Baroness Susan Greenfield at Oxford University, have expressed concern at the impact of computer games and electronic devices on children.
Dr Jeffrey Anderson, a neuroradiologist at the University of Utah’s school of medicine who led the latest study, said: “Most of the differences we see could be considered beneficial. However the good changes could be inseparable from problems that come with them.”
The researchers used brain scans of 151 adolescent boys suffering from Internet gaming disorder. This is known as an obsession with video games that often leads youngsters to give up eating and sleeping to keep playing.
Scans of their brains revealed the teenagers had greater numbers of connections between parts of the brain that process vision or hearing and the salience network, which helps focus attention.
The researchers said this could help increase their co-ordination, meaning they can react more quickly to the rush of an oncoming character in a video game. In real-life, it may also make them respond faster to an unfamiliar voice in a crowded room or react to a ball rolling out in front of a car.
“Hyperconnectivity between these brain networks could lead to a more robust ability to direct attention toward targets, and to recognise novel information in the environment,” said Dr Anderson.
“The changes could essentially help someone to think more efficiently.”
However, the researchers also found increased connections between the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the temporoarietal junction compared to those who did not play video games as often.
This pattern is often seen in patients with psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, Down’s Syndrome and autism, as well as in people with poor impulse control.
Source: www.dailymail.uk
