There is a neuronal hyper-connection between certain areas of the brain in chronic video game addicts. Mainly, on those related to vision and hearing. It would modify the behavior of the people concerned by making them more reactive to danger, but less concentrated and more instinctual, according to the results of a study. study published in the journal Addiction Biology.
Researchers from the University of Utah School of Medicine (USA) conducted a study in South Korea to understand whether there was a difference between the brains of video game addicts and those of non-gamers. -dependent. They scanned the brains of 106 boys, aged 10 to 19, using MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) to cure their addiction to video games. These scans were compared to those of 80 adolescents without any addiction disorder.
Different neural connections
The conclusions of this study revealed a very strong connection between two zones which would be responsible for a significant degree of distraction: the prefrontal cortex and the temporo-parietal junction. This neuronal modification also exists in patients suffering from schizophrenia, Down’s syndrome or autism and in people who have difficulty controlling their impulses.
In contrast, researchers were unable to determine whether it is video games that alter neural connections in the brain, or whether it is differences in the brain that promotevideo game addiction
“You could look at most of these differences that we see as beneficial assets. However, the positive aspects of these neural connections cannot be separated from the problems that come with them,” says Dr. Jeffrey Anderson, senior lecturer in neuroradiology at University of Utah School of Medicine.
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