Brain Changes in Adolescents While Imagining and Observing Aggressive Behavior

NCT00267891 | Completed

• 2 other identifiers: 06004806-N-0048
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 88
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study will use functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine what happens in the brains of adolescents when they are exposed to violent media and how imagining aggressive behavior affects brain function. The study will measure physiological changes (such as the amount of electricity generated by the skin, heart rate, and breathing rate) related to these tasks during fMRI. MRI uses a magnetic field and radio waves to obtain images of body organs and tissues. For fMRI, the subject performs certain tasks during the MRI scanning to examine changes in the brain regions that are involved with those tasks. During the scan, the subject lies in a metal cylinder (the scanner), wearing earplugs to muffle loud noises that occur with the scanning. Healthy right-handed native English-speaking males between 14 and 17 years of age may be eligible for this study. Candidates are screened with a neurological examination and neuropsychological testing that includes questions about their feelings, experiences, and behavior, and tests of reading level and intelligence. Participants undergo fMRI and fill out questionnaires before and after the scanning. Some children are asked to play 20 minutes of video games before the test. During the scan, the child views short neutral video clips and video clips of people fighting or imagine self-defense situations. The child is asked to rate the video clips for their aggressive content or tell how he or she feels about the imagined situations. Two small straps are wrapped around the child's index and middle fingers to measure changes in the amount of electricity generated by the skin, and a strap at the ring finger measures the child's heart rate. A band around the child's chest records breathing rates. Children who cannot or do not want to undergo MRI testing may be asked to view commercially available video clips of people fighting and neutral video scenes, such as sports scenes. They are asked to rate them on their violent content and excitement, or to rate the video games they have played on their violent/nonviolent content and their popularity. In addition, the children fill out questionnaires about their media use and exposure to violence. All participating families are contacted by telephone 1 day and 2 weeks after the experiment for parents to answer questions about how the child has been doing and for the children to answer questions about their feelings.

Conditions

Aggressive Behavior

Keywords

Healthy Control Subjects; Aggression; Prefrontal Cortex Function; Children and Adolescents; Healthy Volunteer; HV

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 14 Years - 17 Years
• Sex: male
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17)

You may qualify if:

• In all the studies, participants will consist of male adolescent healthy, native English-speaking, right-handed volunteers. Participants will range in age from 14 to 17 years old and they will be included regardless of race.

You may not qualify if:

• Non-native English speakers and non-right handers will be excluded, as will non-neurologically normal volunteers. Subjects younger than 14 and older than 17 years of age will be excluded.
• Subjects with any of the following will be excluded from MRI testing: aneurysm clip; implanted neural stimulator; implanted cardiac pacemaker or auto-defibrillator; cochlear implant; ocular foreign body, such as metal shavings; permanent eyeliner; insulin pump; or irremovable body piercing will be excluded from the study due to the possible dangerous effects of the magnet upon metal objects in the body.
• Adolescents who have been trained in martial arts will be excluded from our studies.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS): lead

Study Sites (1)

National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, 9000 Rockville Pike

Bethesda, Maryland, 20892, United States

Location

Related Publications (3)

• Anderson CA, Bushman BJ. Effects of violent video games on aggressive behavior, aggressive cognition, aggressive affect, physiological arousal, and prosocial behavior: a meta-analytic review of the scientific literature. Psychol Sci. 2001 Sep;12(5):353-9. doi: 10.1111/1467-9280.00366.

  PMID: 11554666 BACKGROUND

• Anderson CA, Dill KE. Video games and aggressive thoughts, feelings, and behavior in the laboratory and in life. J Pers Soc Psychol. 2000 Apr;78(4):772-90. doi: 10.1037//0022-3514.78.4.772.

  PMID: 10794380 BACKGROUND

• Belliveau JW, Kennedy DN Jr, McKinstry RC, Buchbinder BR, Weisskoff RM, Cohen MS, Vevea JM, Brady TJ, Rosen BR. Functional mapping of the human visual cortex by magnetic resonance imaging. Science. 1991 Nov 1;254(5032):716-9. doi: 10.1126/science.1948051.

  PMID: 1948051 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Aggression

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Aberrant Motor Behavior in Dementia; Behavioral Symptoms; Behavior; Social Behavior

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Sponsor Type: NIH

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: December 21, 2005
• First Posted: December 21, 2005
• Study Start: December 14, 2005
• Study Completion: August 12, 2010
• Last Updated: July 2, 2017

Record last verified: 2010-08-12

Locations

US (1)