Posted on 05/20/2015 10:12:08 AM PDT by Enlightened1
University of Montreal study finds video game players navigate the screen using a key area of the brain
Millions of boys could be at increased risk of Alzheimer's disease and other mental illnesses in later life through playing action video games such as Call of Duty or Assassin's Creed, according to new research.
Scientists say players navigate the screen using a key area of the brain called the caudate nucleus, which leads to loss of grey matter in the hippocampus.
Previous studies have shown reduced volume in the hippocampus, which controls memory, learning and emotion, is associated with neurological and psychological disorders including dementia and depression.
The Canadian team said if action gamers have less grey matter, as people who rely on the caudate nucleus normally do, then they may be more prone to mental illness.
In the study, published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, they tested 26 players and 33 non players who wore skull caps recording their brainwaves and eye movements as they negotiated a virtual maze decorated with trees and mountains from which they had to retrieve objects.
It found the players were twice as likely to use their caudate nucleus (80.76%) during navigation rather than the non-gamers (42.42%) who tended to rely on the brain's spatial memory system, the hippocampus.
The caudate nucleus is the brain's reward system and has also been linked with drug and alcohol addiction.
Dr Gregory West, of the University of Montreal, said: "For more than a decade now, research has demonstrated action video game players display more efficient visual attention abilities. Our current study again confirms this notion.
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
I guess I’ve got to go back to playing Doom.
I play Battlefield, guess i’ll be OK.
phew.....
Give all the guys pink dresses to wear and that will counter the effects of the program.
pfl
Uncharted Waters Online and Civilization didn’t make the list so I’m OK
Doesn't address causality. Maybe video games appeal to "caudate thinkers". Wouldn't change the fact that avid players might be more at risk of Alzheimer's, if in fact that's true, but knowing whether gaming was causal would tell them whether to tone it down or not.
This effect can be countered by shooting research scientists who come up with really ridiculous ‘studies’.
I’m doing BF4 so I should be OK. I finally went through all levels of Prestige in COD:W@W
“Scientists say players navigate the screen using a key area of the brain called the caudate nucleus, which leads to loss of grey matter in the hippocampus.”
Does this statement make sense? Is it kind of like saying that exercising your legs makes your arms weaker?
And here I was thinking a hippocampus was a college for the morbidly obese...
I am so stealing that.
You honor me, sir.
Adult Call of Duty players are 100% likely to become overgrown boys. While this country goes to crap, men are playing video games.
here come the lawyers.
lawsuits aplenty to follow.
“Call of Duty made my son a complete vegetable....”
I assume for their study, they gathered a large sample size of 75-80 year olds who have played Call of Duty regularly.
I would think if this were true that pilots and those who spend time in flight simulators would be at the same risk. Has there been a prevalence of Alzheimer’s among these groups?
I think liberals played leisure suit Larry.
Explains a lot.
Am I affected by my days playing the last video game I played, Asteroids?
Or, for the very cool.
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