According to Doctor Chou Yuan-hua, from the department of Psychiatry of Taipei Veterans General Hospital, gamers risk damaging their brain functions and affect their learning and emotional control.
The Taiwanese doctor monitored the blood circulation in the brains of 30 test subject, all 25 years old, before and after playing a video game for 30 minutes.
Doctor Chou Yuan-hua noticed an obvious decrease in blood flow in the frontal lobe of the brain, as well as the anterior cingulate gyrus . The effect was more pronounced in those playing violent video games.
He explained that the frontal lobe of the cerebral cortex, located at the front of the brain, is associated with thinking, speaking, decision-making and impulse control, while the anterior cingulate gyrus, located in the medial wall of the frontal lobe, modulates internal emotional responses.
Chou noted that clinical experiences have proven that patients with schizophrenia or depression have significantly lower blood flows in their frontal lobes and anterior cingulate gyruses.