Citation

Szycik GR, Mohammadi B, Hake M, Kneer J, Samii A, Münte TF, Te Wildt BT. Brain Imaging Behav. 2016; 11(3): 736-743.

Affiliation

Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, LWL University Hospital of the Ruhr-University, Bochum, Germany.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2016, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s11682-016-9549-y

PMID

27086318

Abstract

Playing violent video games have been linked to long-term emotional desensitization. We hypothesized that desensitization effects in excessive users of violent video games should lead to decreased brain activations to highly salient emotional pictures in emotional sensitivity brain regions. Twenty-eight male adult subjects showing excessive long-term use of violent video games and age and education matched control participants were examined in two experiments using standardized emotional pictures of positive, negative and neutral valence. No group differences were revealed even at reduced statistical thresholds which speaks against desensitization of emotion sensitive brain regions as a result of excessive use of violent video games.

Language: en