Comparing the neuroendocrine hormone levels and psychophysiological parameters between excessive game players and normal people

Abstract

Computer games have become an increasing part of many young people's daily lives. Excessive gaming may become a kind of behaviored addiction similar to gambling and may turn to a biological addiction. In order to accept this hypothesis there should be significant difference between the subject groups which points out to the dopaminergic reward system. As a result of our study, excessive game players showed higher skin conductance fluctuations and increased heart rate than non-excessive players. During game sessions cortisol hormone levels and heart rate fluctuations decreased in both groups. However, we found that there is a negative correlation between beta-endorphin and skin conductance fluctuations and pozitive correlation between heart rate mean and dopamine. These correlations may contribute to the behaviored addiction hypothesis and be a step to understand the mechanisms underlying the excessive game playing.