Frequent gamers have brain differences, study finds

( Stephen Yang / Bloomberg )

European scientists reported that 14-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.

Researchers wrote that their study was 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.