Neural correlates of problematic gaming in adolescents: A systematic review of structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging studies

Problematic gaming in adolescents is associated with neural alterations in structural and functional imaging studies. Especially frontal regions, associated with cognitive control functions, as well as temporoparietal areas, responsible for attention processes and self-concepts, and frontolimbic and subcortical regions, connected to emotion regulation and reward processing, are affected. The differences provide a further explanation for addictive disorders and emphasize the importance of interventions that address executive and cognitive-affective deficits.