title: Violence-related content in video game may lead to functional connectivity changes in brain networks as revealed by fMRI-ICA in young men.
abstract: In violent video games, players engage in virtual aggressive behaviors. Exposure to virtual aggressive behavior induces short-term changes in players' behavior. In a previous study, a violence-related version of the racing game "Carmageddon TDR2000" increased aggressive affects, cognitions, and behaviors compared to its non-violence-related version. This study investigates the differences in neural network activity during the playing of both versions of the video game. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) recorded ongoing brain activity of 18 young men playing the violence-related and the non-violence-related version of the video game Carmageddon. Image time series were decomposed into functional connectivity (FC) patterns using independent component analysis (ICA) and template-matching yielded a mapping to established functional brain networks. The FC patterns revealed a decrease in connectivity within 6 brain networks during the violence-related compared to the non-violence-related condition: three sensory-motor networks, the reward network, the default mode network (DMN), and the right-lateralized frontoparietal network. Playing violent racing games may change functional brain connectivity, in particular and even after controlling for event frequency, in the reward network and the DMN. These changes may underlie the short-term increase of aggressive affects, cognitions, and behaviors as observed after playing violent video games.
authors: Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, RWTH Aachen University, Germany; JARA-Translational Brain Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Germany; IZKF Aachen, RWTH Aachen University, Germany. Electronic address: mzvyagintsev@ukaachen.de.
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Zvyagintsev
authors: Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, RWTH Aachen University, Germany; JARA-Translational Brain Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Germany.
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Klasen
authors: Department of Communication, Media Neuroscience Lab, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, United States.
authors: R
authors: R
authors: Weber
authors: Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, RWTH Aachen University, Germany; JARA-Translational Brain Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Germany.
authors: P
authors: P
authors: Sarkheil
authors: Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Salerno, Baronissi (Salerno), Italy.
authors: F
authors: F
authors: Esposito
authors: JARA-Translational Brain Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Germany; Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, RWTH Aachen University, Germany.
authors: K A
authors: KA
authors: Mathiak
authors: Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, RWTH Aachen University, Germany; JARA-Translational Brain Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Germany.
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Schwenzer
authors: Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, RWTH Aachen University, Germany; JARA-Translational Brain Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Germany.
authors: K
authors: K
authors: Mathiak
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D000069581:Exposure to Violence / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000503:physiopathology*; D018910:Video Games / Q000523:psychology*; D014754:Violence / Q000523:psychology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: ICA; aggression; brain networks; fMRI; video game; violence