Violent video game effects linger in brain - study

By Susan Kelly

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Teens who play violent video games show increased activity in areas of the brain linked to emotional arousal and decreased responses in regions that govern self-control, a study released on Tuesday found.

The study used functional magnetic resonance imaging to record tiny metabolic changes in brain activity in 44 adolescents who were asked to perform a series of tasks after playing either a violent or non-violent video game for 30 minutes.

The children, with no history of behaviour problems, ranged in age from 13 to 17. Half played a T-rated first-person shooter game called "Medal of Honour: Frontline," involving military combat, while the other group played a non-violent game called "Need for Speed: Underground."

Those who played the violent video game showed more activation in the amygdala, which is involved in emotional arousal, and less activation in the prefrontal portions of the brain associated with control, focus and concentration than the teens who played the non-violent game.

"Our study suggests that playing a certain type of violent video game may have different short-term effects on brain function than playing a non-violent, but exciting, game," said Dr. Vincent Mathews, a professor of radiology at Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis and the study's author.

After playing the games, the children completed tasks requiring concentration and processing of emotional stimuli while their brain activity was scanned. Alterations in brain function reflecting changes in blood flow appeared as brightly coloured areas on the magnetic resonance images.

"What we showed is there is an increase in emotional arousal. The fight or flight response is activated after playing a violent video game," Mathews said.

The findings were presented at a meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.