Media violence exposure and frontal lobe activation measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging in aggressive and nonaggressive adolescents. J Comput Assist Tomogr 2005;29(3):287-92
Date
05/14/2005Pubmed ID
15891492DOI
10.1097/01.rct.0000162822.46958.33Scopus ID
2-s2.0-19544394702 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 88 CitationsAbstract
OBJECTIVE: To understand better the relation between media violence exposure, brain functioning, and trait aggression, this study investigated the association between media violence exposure and brain activation as measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in groups of normal adolescents and adolescents with disruptive behavior disorder (DBD) with aggressive features.
METHODS: Seventy-one participants underwent neuropsychologic evaluation and assessment of exposure to violent media. Subjects also were evaluated with fMRI while performing a counting Stroop (CS) task.
RESULTS: Frontal lobe activation was reduced in aggressive subjects compared with control subjects. In addition, differences in frontal lobe activation were associated with differences in media violence exposure. Specifically, activation during performance of the CS in control subjects with high media violence exposure resembled that seen in DBD subjects.
CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that media violence exposure may be associated with alterations in brain functioning whether or not trait aggression is present.
Author List
Mathews VP, Kronenberger WG, Wang Y, Lurito JT, Lowe MJ, Dunn DWAuthors
Vincent Mathews MD Chair, Professor in the Radiology department at Medical College of WisconsinYang Wang MD Professor in the Radiology department at Medical College of Wisconsin
MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AdolescentAggression
Female
Frontal Lobe
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Mass Media
Violence
