In addition to potential vitamin D deficiencies and the stigma of perceived social awkwardness, heavy players of computer games have something else to worry about. A new study by researchers at Ghent University in Belgium has found that the brains of adolescents who play video games for large numbers of hours each week undergo structural changes to the reward center similar to those found in the brains of drug addicts and schizophrenics.
The study focused on the habits of 154 14-year-olds, and grouped them as "infrequent gamers" (those who played fewer than nine hours of games per week) and "frequent gamers" (those who played nine or more hours each week). The frequent gamers showed enlargement in certain areas of the brain relative to the infrequent gamers, especially in the ventral striatum, often called the reward center of the brain, responsible for regulating mood and motivational behavior.
Researchers theorize that the enlarged ventral striatums of frequent gamers might release larger amounts of dopamine, a key chemical in the brain's reward system. Disorders of this area and of dopamine regulation generally include schizophrenia and Parkinson's. Increased dopamine activity is also present in compulsive gamblers and other addicts.
The authors of the study are quick to point out, though, that their results do not necessarily demonstrate proper causation. It may be that, instead of heavy gaming causing structural differences, those differences predispose an individual to prefer certain stimuli, including video games. Additionally, enlarged striatal regions might sensitize a person more to dopamine-producing activities, making it more difficult for a person to cut back on their gaming.
The question to be asked in future research is whether a particular gamer's enlarged ventral striatum is a preexisting condition, and if so, whether the massive plasticity of the human brain will respond to treatments aimed at getting excessive gaming behavior under control. If successful, such treatments could help--not just video game players--but sufferers of a host of other psychological disorders.
Source: Ghent University
