If you've ever thought of compulsive gamers as being a bit "different," you've been right; latest study shows their brains are wired differently from the rest of us.
In a study conducted at the University of Utah, brain scans were performed on about 100 boys, ages 10 to 19, who had sought treatment for what is termed Internet gaming disorder.
For comparison, similar scans were made of about 80 boys who did not have the disorder.
In the compulsive gamers, certain areas of brain networks were found to be hyperconnected, the researchers said.
"Hyperconnectivity between these brain networks could lead to a more robust ability to direct attention toward targets, and to recognize novel information in the environment," says Jeffrey Anderson, lead author of a study appearing in Addiction Biology.
Hyperconnectivity was found in areas of the brain involved in hearing, vision and movement, the researchers say.
"The changes could essentially help someone to think more efficiently," Anderson says.
While most of the differences seen in compulsive gamers' brains could be considered beneficial, there are likely some negative aspects of this hyperconnectivity, he notes.
Increased connectivity between two particular brain regions — the temporoparietal junction and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex — is sometimes seen in people with neuropsychiatric conditions such as autism, Down's syndrome and schizophrenia, the researchers say.
People with poor impulse control also often show hyperconnectivity between these two regions, they point out.
"Having these networks be too connected may increase distractibility," Anderson says.
While the study showed a link between compulsive gaming and hyperconnectivity, it could not answer the question of whether playing computer games caused the rewiring of the brain, or whether existing hyperconnectivity drew the boys to games.
The participants in the study were all from South Korea, where video game playing is a widespread social activity, to a degree not seen in the United States.
The study is the largest, most extensive investigation so far into brain differences seen in compulsive video game players, according to Doug Hyun Han, a researcher at Chung-Ang University in Seoul who is also an adjunct associate professor at the University of Utah School of Medicine.
The South Korean government supported the work as part of an effort to help identify and treat video addiction, a serious problem in that country, the researchers said.
