Write an article based on this summary:

– This is your brain on videogames: The brains of hardcore gamers are wired differently than those who rarely play video games, according to a new study. Researchers who scanned the brains of more than 150 14-year-olds found that the brain's "reward hub"—which plays a role in addiction—was bigger in frequent gamers, as it is in gambling addicts, the Los Angeles Times reports. The researchers couldn't determine whether gaming changed the brain, or whether having a certain brain structure made people likelier to enjoy gaming. The results are "really provocative, because this is a central hub in the brain's motivational system and dopamine pathway," a researcher at Cambridge's department of experimental psychology tells Reuters. "The burning question is whether the structural difference is a change caused by the frequent game play, or whether individual differences in this system naturally dispose some people to more excessive play," he says. "For teenagers, parents, and clinicians to make sense of this finding, we need research monitoring brain structure over time."
Fans play video games at the premiere of the video game ''Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3'' in Los Angeles, California September 2, 2011. 
  
 LONDON | 
  
 LONDON (Reuters) - Teenagers who spend a lot of time on video-games have different structures and activity levels in areas of the brain that are linked to reward, scientists have found, suggesting they get more out of gaming than people who tend to play less. 
  
 In a study published in the Translational Psychiatry journal on Tuesday, researchers analyzed MRI scans of more than 150 14-year-olds who played video-games either moderately or a lot, and found the frequent gamers had a higher volume of grey matter in a key part of their brains. 
  
 Previous studies have shown a link between the dopamine-related ventral striatum, a structure of the brain's reward system, and video-gaming or computer gambling, but this is the first to look at brain structure and volume. 
  
 "These findings demonstrate that the ventral striatum plays a significant role in excessive video-game playing and contributes to our understanding of behavioral addiction," Simone Kuehn of Belgium's Ghent University and Juergen Gallinat of Germany's Charite University Medicine wrote in their study 
  
 Video-gaming has become hugely popular in recent years, particularly among teenagers. The average weekly usage in this experiment was around 12 hours a week. 
  
 There is an ongoing debate among doctors and researchers about whether excessive video-gaming should be recognized as an addiction and seen as a form of mental disorder. 
  
 While the German researchers found keen gamers had structural differences in their brains compared to those who played less frequently, they were not able to say whether this was a cause of eagerness to play video-games or a change that had come about as a result of their habit. 
  
 Henrietta Bowden-Jones of the neuroscience division at Imperial College London said the findings were highly relevant to clinicians because they "further close the gap" between video-gaming and other addictions, giving specialists a better understanding of possible long-term treatment options. 
  
 "The exciting next step will be to determine, as with other addictions, whether volumetric differences are a cause or effect of excessive human behavior," she said in an emailed comment about the study. 
  
 Luke Clark of Cambridge University's department of Experimental Psychology said the findings were "really provocative, because this is a central hub in the brain's motivational system and dopamine pathway." 
  
 "The burning question...is whether the structural difference is a change caused by the frequent game play, or whether individual differences in this system naturally dispose some people to more excessive play," he said. "For teenagers, parents, and clinicians to make sense of this finding, we need research monitoring brain structure over time." 
  
 (Editing by Paul Casciato) ||||| Fourteen-year-olds who were frequent video gamers had more gray matter in the rewards center of the brain than peers who didn't play video games as much -- suggesting that gaming may be correlated to changes in the brain much as addictions are.European scientists reported the discovery Tuesday in the journal Translational Psychiatry . Psychologist Simone Kuhn of Ghent University in Belgium and colleagues recruited 154 healthy 14-year-olds in Berlin and divided them into two groups. Twenty-four girls and 52 boys were frequent gamers who played at least nine hours of video games each week. Fifty-eight girls and 20 boys were infrequent gamers, who played less than nine hours a week.Structural magnetic resonance imaging ( MRI ) showed differences in the test subjects' brains. Frequent gamers had more gray matter in a portion of the brain known as the left ventral striatum, which affects the interplay of emotions and behavior. Previous research identified striatal function as a "core candidate promoting addictive behavior," the authors wrote.Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), the team also observed changes in the kids' brains as they participated in a task that simulated anticipating and receiving a reward. They found that frequent gamers had greater brain activity when they were given feedback that they were losing. This is similar to a response seen in addicted gamblers, the authors noted, who have increased levels of the the brain chemical dopamine in the ventral striatum when they are losing money.The authors wrote that their study is the first to correlate changes in brain structures with video gaming. They couldn't determine if the frequent gamers' brains grew larger as a result of playing video games or if those kids were attracted to gaming because that part of their brain was enlarged in the first place; scientists will need to measure the effects of video gaming on structures in the brain over time to figure that out.But either way, discovering the link between brain structure and video games could help researchers understand the role of the brain in addictive behaviors, they wrote."If the striatal differences observed in the current study are indeed an effect of gaming, video gaming might post an interesting option to explore structural changes in addiction in future studies in the absence of any neurotoxic substances," they noted.The study is available at the Translational Psychiatry website Return to the Booster Shots blog |||||
Skriv en artikel baserad på denna sammanfattning: – Det här är din hjärna på TV-spel: Hjärnan hos hardcorespelare är trådbunden annorlunda än de som sällan spelar TV-spel, enligt en ny studie. Forskare som skannade hjärnan hos mer än 150 14-åringar fann att hjärnans "belönade nav" – som spelar en roll i beroendet – var större hos frekventa spelare, som det är hos spelberoende, rapporterar Los Angeles Times. Forskarna kunde inte avgöra om spel förändrade hjärnan, eller om en viss hjärnstruktur gjorde att människor kunde njuta av spel. Resultaten är "verkligen provokativa, eftersom detta är ett centralt nav i hjärnans motivationssystem och dopaminväg", berättar en forskare vid Cambridges avdelning för experimentell psykologi för Reuters. "Den brännande frågan är om den strukturella skillnaden är en förändring som orsakas av det frekventa spelet, eller om individuella skillnader i detta system naturligtvis gör att vissa människor till mer överdrivet spel", säger han. "För att tonåringar, föräldrar och kliniker ska förstå detta fynd behöver vi forskning som övervakar hjärnstrukturen över tid."
Write an article based on this summary: – This is your brain on video games: The brain of hardcore players is wired differently from those who rarely play video games, according to a new study. Scientists scanning the brain of more than 150 14-year-olds found that the brain's "winning hub"—which plays a role in addiction—was larger in frequent players, as it is in gambling addiction, reports the Los Angeles Times. The researchers could not determine whether gambling changed the brain, or whether a certain brain structure allowed people to enjoy games. The results are "really provocative, because this is a central hub in the brain's motivational system and dopamine pathway," a researcher at Cambridge's Department of Experimental Psychology tells Reuters. "The burning question is whether the structural difference is a change caused by the frequent game, or whether individual differences in this system naturally cause some people to become more excessive games," he says. "For teenagers, parents and clinicians to understand this finding, we need research to monitor brain structure over time."
Fans spelar TV-spel vid premiären av TV-spelet ''Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3'' i Los Angeles, Kalifornien 2 september 2011. LONDON LONDON (Reuters) - Tonåringar som spenderar mycket tid på videospel har olika strukturer och aktivitetsnivåer i områden i hjärnan som är kopplade till belöning, forskare har hittat, vilket antyder att de får ut mer av spel än människor som tenderar att spela mindre. I en studie publicerad i Translational Psychiatry journal på tisdag, analyserade forskare MRT-scanningar av mer än 150 14-åringar som spelade videospel antingen måttligt eller mycket, och fann att de frekventa spelarna hade en högre volym av grå materia i en viktig del av sina hjärnor. Tidigare studier har visat på en koppling mellan det dopaminrelaterade ventrala striatum, en struktur av hjärnans belöningssystem, och video-gaming eller datorspel, men detta är det första som tittar på hjärnans struktur och volym. "Dessa fynd visar att ventral striatum spelar en betydande roll i överdrivet videospel och bidrar till vår förståelse av beteendeberoende," Simone Kuehn från Belgiens Gent-universitet och Juergen Gallinat från Tysklands Charite University Medicine skrev i sin studie Video-gaming har blivit enormt populär under de senaste åren, särskilt bland tonåringar. Den genomsnittliga veckoanvändningen i detta experiment var cirka 12 timmar i veckan. Det pågår en debatt bland läkare och forskare om huruvida överdriven videogaming ska erkännas som ett beroende och ses som en form av psykisk störning. Medan de tyska forskarna fann ivriga spelare hade strukturella skillnader i sina hjärnor jämfört med dem som spelade mindre ofta, de kunde inte säga om detta var en orsak till iver att spela videospel eller en förändring som hade kommit till följd av deras vana. Henrietta Bowden-Jones från neuroscience avdelningen på Imperial College London sade att resultaten var mycket relevanta för kliniker eftersom de "ytterligare täppa till gapet" mellan video-gaming och andra beroenden, vilket ger specialister en bättre förståelse för möjliga långsiktiga behandlingsalternativ. "Det spännande nästa steget blir att, liksom med andra beroenden, avgöra om volymetriska skillnader är en orsak eller effekt av överdrivet mänskligt beteende", sade hon i en e-postad kommentar om studien. Luke Clark vid Cambridge Universitys avdelning för experimentell psykologi sade att fynden var "verkligen provokativa, eftersom detta är en central knutpunkt i hjärnans motivationssystem och dopaminväg." "Den brännande frågan...är om den strukturella skillnaden är en förändring som orsakas av det frekventa spelet, eller om individuella skillnader i detta system naturligtvis gör vissa människor till mer överdrivet spel", sade han. "För att tonåringar, föräldrar och kliniker ska förstå detta fynd behöver vi forskning som övervakar hjärnstrukturen över tid." (Redigera av Paul Casciato) <unk> Fjorton-åringar som var frekvent TV-spelare hade mer grå materia i belöningarna centrum för hjärnan än kamrater som inte spelade TV-spel så mycket -- vilket antyder att spel kan korreleras till förändringar i hjärnan ungefär som beroende är.europeiska forskare rapporterade upptäckten tisdag i tidskriften Translational Psychiatry . Psykologen Simone Kuhn vid Gentuniversitetet i Belgien och kollegor rekryterade 154 friska 14-åringar i Berlin och delade upp dem i två grupper. Tjugofyra flickor och 52 pojkar var ofta spelare som spelade minst nio timmars TV-spel varje vecka. Femtioåtta flickor och 20 pojkar var sällan förekommande spelare, som spelade mindre än nio timmar i veckan.Strukturell magnetisk resonanstomografi (MRI ) visade skillnader i testpersonernas hjärnor. Frekvent spelare hade mer grå materia i en del av hjärnan känd som vänster ventral striatum, vilket påverkar samspelet mellan känslor och beteende. Tidigare forskning identifierade striatal funktion som en "kärnkandidat som främjar beroendeframkallande beteende", skrev författarna.Använda funktionell magnetisk resonanstomografi (fMRI), teamet observerade också förändringar i barnens hjärnor som de deltog i en uppgift som simulerade förutse och få en belöning. De fann att frekventa spelare hade större hjärnaktivitet när de fick feedback som de höll på att förlora. Detta liknar ett svar som ses hos beroende spelare, konstaterade författarna, som har ökat nivåerna av hjärnans kemiska dopamin i ventral striatum när de förlorar pengar.Författarna skrev att deras studie är den första att korrelera förändringar i hjärnstrukturer med videospel. De kunde inte avgöra om de ofta förekommande spelarnas hjärnor växte sig större till följd av att de spelade TV-spel eller om dessa barn lockades till spel eftersom den delen av deras hjärna var förstorad i första hand; forskarna kommer att behöva mäta effekterna av videospel på strukturer i hjärnan med tiden för att räkna ut det.Men hur som helst, att upptäcka kopplingen mellan hjärnans struktur och videospel kan hjälpa forskare att förstå hjärnans roll i beroendeframkallande beteenden, skrev de. "Om de striatala skillnader som observerats i den aktuella studien verkligen är en effekt av spelande, videospel kan lägga upp ett intressant alternativ för att utforska strukturella förändringar i beroende i framtida studier i avsaknad av några neurotoxiska ämnen," konstaterade de. Studien finns tillgänglig på Translational Psychiatry website Return to the Booster Shots blog '``
Fans play video games at the premiere of the video game ''Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3'' in Los Angeles, California September 2, 2011. LONDON LONDON (Reuters) - Teenagers who spend a lot of time on video games have different structures and activity levels in areas of the brain that are linked to reward, researchers have found, suggesting that they get more out of games than people who tend to play less. In a study published in the Translational Psychiatry journal on Tuesday, researchers analyzed MRI scans of more than 150 14-year-olds playing video games either moderately or very, finding that the frequent players had a higher volume of gray matter in an important part of their brains. Previous studies have shown a connection between the dopamine-related ventral striatum, a structure of the brain's reward system, and video-gaming or computer games, but this is the first to look at the structure and volume of the brain. "These findings show that ventral striatum plays a significant role in excessive video games and contributes to our understanding of behavioral addiction," Simone Kuehn of Belgium's Ghent University and Juergen Gallinat of Germany's Charite University Medicine wrote in her study Video-gaming has become enormously popular in recent years, especially among teenagers. The average weekly use in this experiment was about 12 hours a week. There is a debate among doctors and researchers on whether excessive videogaming should be recognised as an addiction and seen as a form of mental disorder. While the German researchers found eager players had structural differences in their brains compared to those who played less often, they could not say whether this was a cause for eagerness to play video games or a change that had come as a result of their habit. Henrietta Bowden-Jones of the neuroscience department at Imperial College London said the results were highly relevant to clinicians because they "further plug the gap" between video-gaming and other dependencies, giving specialists a better understanding of possible long-term treatment options. "The exciting next step will be to determine, as with other dependencies, whether volumetric differences are a cause or effect of excessive human behavior," she said in an e-mailed commentary on the study. Luke Clark of Cambridge University's Department of Experimental Psychology said that the findings were "really provocative, because this is a central hub in the brain's motivational system and dopamine pathway." "The burning question...is whether the structural difference is a change caused by the frequent game, or whether individual differences in this system naturally make some people more excessive games," he said. "For teenagers, parents and clinicians to understand this finding, we need research to monitor brain structure over time." (Edit by Paul Casciato) <unk> Fourteen-year-olds who were frequent TV players had more grey matter in the rewards center of the brain than peers who did not play video games so much -- suggesting that games can be correlated to changes in the brain much as dependent is.European researchers reported the discovery Tuesday in the journal Translational Psychiatry . Psychologist Simone Kuhn of Ghent University in Belgium and colleagues recruited 154 healthy 14-year-olds in Berlin and divided them into two groups. Twenty-four girls and 52 boys were often players who played at least nine hours of video games each week. Fifty-eight girls and 20 boys were infrequent players, who played less than nine hours a week.Structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI ) showed differences in test subjects' brains. Frequent players had more grey matter in part of the brain known as the left ventral striatum, affecting the interaction between emotions and behavior. Previous research identified striatal function as a "core candidate promoting addictive behavior," wrote the authors.Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), the team also observed changes in children's brains that they participated in a task that simulated anticipating and receiving a reward. They found that frequent players had greater brain activity when they received feedback that they were losing. This is similar to a response seen in dependent players, the authors noted, who have increased levels of brain chemical dopamine in ventral striatum when they lose money.The authors wrote that their study is the first to correlate changes in brain structures with video games. They could not determine whether the brains of the frequent players grew larger as a result of playing video games or whether these children were attracted to games because that part of their brain was enlarged primarily; researchers will need to measure the effects of video games on structures in the brain over time to figure it out.However, discovering the connection between the structure of the brain and video games can help researchers understand the role of the brain in addictive behaviors, they wrote. "If the striatal differences observed in the current study are indeed an effect of gambling, video games can post an interesting option to explore structural changes in dependence in future studies in the absence of any neurotoxic substances," they noted. The study is available on the Translational Psychiatry website Return to the Booster Shots blog <unk>