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Video games could increase the risk of people developing Alzheimer's disease in later life, according to controversial new research.
Research by the University of Montreal found a link to mental illness. They claimed that gaming (stock image shown) uses the caudate nucleus in the brain. This can lead to a loss of grey matter in the hippocampus, and reduced volume of the hippocampus is associated with neurological and psychological disorders
The research was conducted by scientists from the University of Montreal in Canada.
They said that if gamers have less grey matter, owing to extended use of the caudate nucleus, then they may be more prone to mental illness.
In the study, published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, the researchers tested 26 players and 33 non-players who wore skull caps that recorded their brainwaves and eye movements.
These movements were monitored as the player 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 (81 per cent) during navigation rather than the non-gamers (42 per cent) 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.
'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 added that 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 effects 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.
The study found players were twice as likely to use their caudate nucleus (81 per cent), shown in red, during navigation than the non-gamers (42 per cent) who tended to rely on the brain's spatial memory system, the hippocampus. The caudate nucleus is the brain's 'reward system' and has been linked with drug addiction
However, Tim Parry from Alzheimer’s Research UK said that it was difficult to draw conclusions from the research.
'The risk factors for Alzheimer’s and other causes of dementia are varied and complex, but this study does not add Call of Duty or Grand Theft Auto to that list,' he said.
'This study focused on a specific navigation task in young adults and did not look long term at memory and thinking skills, so we cannot draw any conclusions about video games and dementia risk.
'We do know that a healthy diet and plenty of exercise are both important for reducing dementia risk.'
And Professor Chris Chambers, a Cardiff University brain scientist, told MailOnline: ‘What this study tells us is that gamers, not surprisingly, learn to pay attention differently to non-gamers.
‘But the study doesn't show that gamers have a shrunken hippocampus or that they are more prone to brain diseases.
‘The researchers didn't study MRI scans, but even if they did, drawing conclusions about Alzheimer's disease we would require us to track gamers and non-gamers into older age and compare rates of diagnosis.
‘What the researchers propose is an interesting conjecture but it remains a conjecture.’
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.
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