Certain video games destroy valuable brain mass in the hippocampus area

Physicians are studying the effects of different categories of video games
In a new video game study, the researchers found that the brain's hippocampal system is influenced by the navigation strategy in computer games. The more gray matter in the hippocampus, the healthier our brain is. Certain video games, however, reduce this important substance.

Researchers at the University of Montreal and McGill University in Canada found in their study that certain video games can reduce the gray matter of the hippocampus. The physicians published the results of their study in the journal "Molecular Psychiatry".

Call Duty and Co often: How dangerous are such PC games ?. (Image: Iryna Tiumentseva / fotolia.com)

What is the hippocampus??
The hippocampus is the brain region associated with spatial learning, navigation and memory. The more the hippocampus is depleted, the more likely it is to develop brain disorders and various diseases that include, for example, depression, schizophrenia, PTSD and Alzheimer's, say the experts.

Playing first-person shooters leads to changes in the brain
The researchers from Canada studied in their study, the brains of people who like to play so-called first-person shooter (for example, games like Call of Duty or Battlefield). They could see that the brains of these players have less gray mass. This change in the brain actually seems to have been triggered by playing video games.

Game navigation strategies can affect hippocampus differently
The physicians first examined differences in the hippocampal gray matter of 33 people who either habitually played action video games or never did. The participants were then asked about the strategies they use to navigate the games. The experts discovered in their study that habitual action video game users had significantly less gray matter in their hippocampus and more frequently used so-called reaction strategies.

Physicians measure brain tissue density in volunteers
In two more studies, new groups of 43 and 21 subjects had a total of 90 hours of an action video game (Call of Duty or Battlefield, for example), a 3D platform game (like Super Mario 64) or an action role-playing game (like Dead Island). play. All participants were examined with the help of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and their brain tissue density was measured.

3D platform games can even lead to an increase in gray matter
The participants used different strategies for navigation in games. There were spatially learners and people who navigated based on reaction strategies. The researchers found that so-called first-person shooter games reduced the gray matter within the hippocampus in players with these reaction strategies even more. After playing, however, there was an increase in the gray matter of participants engaged in 3D platform games using hippocampus-dependent spatial strategies.

The navigation strategy of the player determines advantages or disadvantages for the hippocampus
The results of the study show that video games can be beneficial or detrimental to the hippocampal system, depending on the navigation strategy used and the genre of the game, the researchers concluded. (As)