Exposure to TV Violence Related to Irregular Brain Structures

According to a recent study published in the journal Brain and Cognition, young adult men who watched more violence on television showed indications of less mature brain development and poorer executive functioning. The researchers used psychological testing and MRI scans to measure mental abilities and volume of brain regions in 65 healthy males with normal IQ between the ages of 18 and 29, specifically chosen because they were not frequent game players. Results of the study shows that the more violent TV viewing a participant reported, the worse they performed on tasks of attention and cognitive control. However, the overall amount of TV watched was not related to performance on any executive function tests. When scientists looked at the brain scans of young men with higher violent TV exposure, less volume of white matter connecting the frontal and parietal loves was seen, which can be a sign of less maturity in brain development. To read more about this study, click here.