Digital Smarts - Gaming Addiction Research Reveals Possible Changes in the Brain

A new study in the journal Addiction Biology looks at brain scans of boys who sought treatment for obsessive video-game playing, also known as internet gaming disorder.  This study evaluated the MRI scans of 186 South Korean boys with and without internet gaming disorder, ages 10 to 19. It was found that those affected may have greater connectivity between several pairs of brain networks, some of which may lead to poor impulse control and lack of focus. This difference in brain connectivity could have potential benefits as well – such as an enhanced coordination between processing sights and sound, resulting in quicker reaction times. Although there is a clear difference in brain activity, it is impossible to tell if the difference is the result of gaming.