gamers gonna game
if they can remember how when they get older
parents if your kiddos are big video game players
maybe you should read this blog today
and
maybe this article
when alzheimers disease starts years and years before
symptoms show up
a process starts in the hypothalmus etal where beta amyloid
accumulation occurs then unraveling of tau proteins occurs
then plaques and tangles form
which leads to brain destruction
what is seen eventually
is shrinkage of this area
underneath the brain
the hypothalamus
easily seen on mri scans
and
areas called the caudate nucleus and the hypothalamus
and the hippocampus
are greatly affected early on
so alzhiemers disease affects the caudate nucleus and leads to
shrinkage in there and in the hypothalamus and the hippocampus
got it
now enter gaming
the research was done on people who play the game
call of duty
it seems when compared to folks who dont game
that gamers used the caudate nucleus twice as much
as nongamers
the caudate nucleus is an area associated with drug and
alcohol addiction also
its also affected by alzheimers disease
they found that gamers had decreased grey matter and
decreased functional brain activity in the hippocampus
where alzheimers really starts
its the area that controls memory emotions and learning
what this means that this decreased function puts gamers
at increased risk for neurological diseases
like alzheimers disease
so the question is does gaming lead to an increased risk
of alzheimers disease
or does it make the onset come on sooner in life
it seems if you are affecting the alzheimers starting place
in the brain early in life that you are priming that area
to more easily be overtaken by
alzheimers disease
more long term studies using brain scans and other research
studies are planned
in the meantime
im glad i was never a gamer
i stopped when i felt myself get addicted to atari games
maybe that helped slow down the process some
and
maybe thats why you dont see a lot of old old gamers
as
maybe they are all in long term memory centers
the organicgreen doctor
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