- In the wake of excess
holiday socialization, travel
and sugarplum consumption,
there's nothing sweeter
than throwing yourself down the abyss
of a new video game.
(techno music)
Yet, for some gamers this
indulgence crosses the line
into the realm of compulsion.
Now, researchers have
rolled in the brain scanners
to see exactly what's happening.
A new study from the University
of Utah School of Medicine
and South Korea's Chung-Ang University,
employed magnetic resonance imaging on
106 boys, ages 10 to 19.
All of them seeking treatment
for Internet Gaming Disorder.
We're talking a level of
compulsive StarCrafting
and Minecrafting here that might make you
forget to eat and sleep.
The researchers then compared the findings
to 80 boys without the disorder to see
just how the neural wiring differed.
And, here's the crazy thing,
most of the differences
in the compulsive gamer
brains were beneficial.
Specifically, the researchers observed
enhanced coordination, between hearing and
vision processing
networks, in the so-called
Salience Network that focuses attention,
and preps the individual to take action.
That means enhanced reaction time,
to both real, and virtual threats.
And, an increased ability to
pick key bits of information
from all the noise drifting
through our daily lives.
However, the researchers
warn that this increased
neural efficiency, might
be inseparable from one
negative aspect of the
compulsive gamer mind,
increased connectivity between the
dorsolateral prefontal cortex and the
temporal parietal junction.
It's the same distinction researchers find
in the brains of individuals
with Schizophrenia,
Down Syndrome, Autism,
and poor impulse control.
But, which came first,
the Yoshi or the egg?
While this US, Korean study published in
Addiction Biology, is the largest and most
comprehensive of it's kind,
the researchers stress
that much more work needs to be done.
We don't know whether compulsive
gaming alters the brain,
or the individuals, already
unique neural connections,
just make them that
much more susceptible to
League of Legends enslavement.
So, how does your neural
architecture line up
with these findings?
Put down that controller and let us know.
Hey, and if you want more
weird science goodness,
be sure to visit now.howstuffworks.com
each and everyday.
