Call of Duty increases risk of Alzheimer's disease

[key2thecup]

Call of Duty increases risk of Alzheimer's disease 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.

^{CT scan of a brain axial section showing atrophy due to Alzheimer's disease in a 84 year old male patient}

"We, however, also found action video game players use navigation strategies that rely on the caudate nucleus to a much greater degree than non video game players.

"Past research has shown people who rely on caudate nucleus dependent strategies have lower grey matter and functional brain activity in the hippocampus.

"This means people who play a lot of action video games could have reduced hippocampal integrity, which is associated with increased risk for neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's disease."

The researchers said people across the world now spend three billion hours a week playing video games, and it is estimated the average young person will now have clocked up almost 10,000 hours by the time they are 21. But the effect of intense gaming on the brain are just beginning to emerge.

As past research has promoted video games as having positive effects on attention, it is important for future research to confirm gaming does not harm the hippocampus.

The researchers said brain scans will be required to further underline the findings and should investigate the direct effects of specific action video games on the caudate nucleus and the hippocampus.

Previous research has also shown brains of people who regularly play computer games differ from those of infrequent gamers.

A study in teenagers showed the "reward hub", which is involved in addiction, was larger in regular players.

Brain scans showed a larger ventral striatum, which is the hub of the brain's reward system, in regular gamers. Playing computer games has been linked to a range of effects from addiction to improved reasoning.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/science-news/11616371/Call-of-Duty-increases-risk-of-Alzheimers-disease.html

[BanTSN]

On the bright side, they won't be able to remember all the times I torched them on COD.

What?

[ken kaniff]

Good. Get those nerds outside and off the games. I was like them, they will get bored of it by the end of highschool. I know i did

[Magikal]

So my hippopotamus is at risk if I game?

[I R Baboon]

Guess im screwed.

[Ghostsof1915]

I think this is all bull.

What was I talking about?

[Orka]

F****** hackers...

[desiboynux4lifee*******]

what about GTA? please answer ty

[surtur]

or it is going to be a part of human evolution and somehow eventually unlock god mode in our brains.

who the frack knows. but i bet they will fare much better then those who spend all day on Facebook or dare i say...... CDC

[c00kies]

Man, I can't remember the last time I played COD.

[Mr.DirtyDangles]

Played Socom religiously for nearly 8 years. During that time I experienced the most intense dreams/nightmares of battle. I had serious anxiety attacks before big online battles actually to the point where my hands would tremble uncontrollably and my resting heart rate was well over 120 until i spawned on the map and start blasting fool's.

I was truly psychologically addicted. I tried to stop a few times over the years but my desire/need to play was definitely unhealthy.

Eventually I went back to non military based games but man was that like trying to quit cigarettes

[Armada]

what about GTA? please answer ty

You'll start banging prostitutes, followed by killing them and getting your money back.

[Kragar]

Interesting article.

Consider if the game were real life, and you were the character in the game. You have full use of all of your senses to help map the environment you are in. This is a completely different experience to the game. As a simple example, imagine walking around in your own home in the dark, or with your eyes closed. Your familiarity with the layout should enable you to get around with little more than the occasional stubbed toe.

Now the game: Since the game character's peripheral vision is more limited by your 2D TV/monitor, and you have no reliable sense of touch and barely reliable hearing (assuming you don't have perfect stereo sound effects and speaker capabilities) I can imagine needing to move your game character around all the time just to visually re-orient yourself. Try maneuvering blindfolded in your video game and see how successful you are getting around. One mistake, and you are likely lost, since you have little to no inputs as to what went wrong or where you are.

Dangles... I believe it. I was never a serious FPS gamer, but I really enjoy Halo, and trying to sleep after several hours of solid playing time was difficult. I'd hate to think of what your experience would feel like.

[Whale Tail]

I should of known it was from the video games and not all of the weed

[Tre Mac]

I disagree. Although I never played CoD, i think video games test and exercise the mind as opposed to just watching tv. Was this study funded by the makers of SOCOM lol?

[Miltt]

Geeze the extent of my video games was RBI Baseball and Ice Hockey. Luckily that only lead to poor trade proposals...

[Red Light Racicot]

This explains too much for my liking

[Baer.]

More cranky behind-the-timers looking for a reason to complain about being old. Remember 15-20 years ago when they said video games made kids violent and caused eye cancer and ADHD?

Go back to your record collections and cry is what I say.

[Hobble]

Worst fate for a gamer is getting old, losing your memory and skills, and then becoming a perpetual noob.

[Qwags]

I may have Alzheimer's, but at least I don't have Alzheimer's.