Short Term Exposure to a Violent Video Game Induces Changes in Frontolimbic Circuitry in Adolescents

Despite evidence of effects of violent video game play on behavior, the underlying neuronal mechanisms involved in these effects remain poorly understood. We report a functional MRI (fMRI) study during two modified Stroop tasks performed immediately after playing a violent or nonviolent video game. Compared with the violent video game group, the nonviolent video game group demonstrated more activation in some regions of the prefrontal cortex during the Counting Stroop task. In contrast to the violent video game group, significantly stronger functional connectivity between left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) was identified in the nonviolent video game group. During an Emotional Stroop task, the violent video game group showed more activity in the right amygdala and less activation in regions of the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC). Furthermore, functional connectivity analysis revealed the negative coupling between right amygdala and MPFC in the nonviolent video game group. By contrast, no significant functional connectivity between right amygdala and MPFC was found in the violent video game group. These results suggest differential engagement of neural circuitry in response to short term exposure to a violent video game as compared to a nonviolent video game.