Excessive video gaming linked to changes in teen brain cortex, study finds
A University of California, San Francisco study found teens who play video games excessively have a thinner brain cortex and smaller surface area in some regions.
Key Takeaways
AIResearchers at the University of California, San Francisco have found that excessive video gaming among teenagers is associated with changes in the brain's cortex, which becomes thinner and has a smaller surface area in certain regions on average.
The findings, published in the journal NeuroImage, were based on an analysis of data from 5,686 participants in the US ABCD project, which included MRI scans of adolescents around 14 years old and a survey about their gaming habits.
The researchers noted that teenagers who spent more time playing video games—averaging 3.1 hours per day—showed a thinner cortex and smaller surface area in several brain regions.
The study found that playing single-player games was often linked to a smaller surface area in cortical regions responsible for speech, communication, and emotional regulation, while online gaming did not show statistically significant differences after accounting for other factors.
The research also indicated that playing age-restricted games was associated with a thinner cortex in networks involved in attention and processing social and emotional cues.
The researchers emphasized that these results represent only a statistical association and do not prove causation, noting that the observed changes are minor and reflect typical patterns of adolescent brain development.
The team continues to monitor participants to determine whether brain characteristics influence game choices or vice versa, aiming to identify which factors appear first.