The impact of television viewing on brain structures: Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses
Abstract
Television (TV) viewing is known to affect children's verbal abilities and other physical, cognitive, and emotional development in psychological studies. However, the brain structural development associated with TV viewing has never been investigated. Here we examined cross-sectional correlations between the duration of TV viewing and regional gray/white matter volume (rGMV/rWMV) among 133 boys and 143 girls as well as correlations between the duration of TV viewing and longitudinal changes that occurred a few years later among 111 boys and 105 girls. After correcting for confounding factors, we found positive effects of TV viewing on rGMV of the frontopolar and medial prefrontal areas in cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses, positive effects of TV viewing on rGMV/rWMV of areas of the visual cortex in cross-sectional analyses, and positive effects of TV viewing on rGMV of the hypothalamus/septum and sensorimotor areas in longitudinal analyses. We also confirmed negative effects of TV viewing on verbal intelligence quotient (IQ) in cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. These anatomical correlates may be linked to previously known effects of TV viewing on verbal competence, aggression, and physical activity. In particular, the present results showed effects of TV viewing on the frontopolar area of the brain, which has been associated with intellectual abilities.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Higher levels of television viewing have been shown to affect the prefrontal cortex (frontopolar), which is associated with intellectual ability in children and adolescents.
“Higher levels of television viewing have also been shown to affect the prefrontal cortex (frontopolar), which is associated with intellectual ability in children and adolescents [22].”
From Electronic media use and academic performance in late childhood: A longitudinal study (2020) · cites this paper as [22]
Cites
The assessment and analysis of handedness: The Edinburgh inventory
Oldfield, R. C. (1971) · Neuropsychologia · doi:10.1016/0028-3932(71)90067-4 · Cited by 35,900 · see citing works
Voxel-Based Morphometry—The Methods
Ashburner, J., & Friston, K. J. (2000) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1006/nimg.2000.0582 · Cited by 8,676 · see citing works
Maldjian, J., Laurienti, P., Kraft, R., & Burdette, J. (2003) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/s1053-8119(03)00169-1 · Cited by 5,453 · see citing works
A Voxel-Based Morphometric Study of Ageing in 465 Normal Adult Human Brains
Good, C. D., Johnsrude, I. S., Ashburner, J., Henson, R. N. A., Friston, K. J., & Frackowiak, R. S. J. (2001) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1006/nimg.2001.0786 · Cited by 4,561 · see citing works
Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-III
Ryan, J. J., & Lopez, S. J. (2001) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-1-4615-1185-4_2 · Cited by 3,680 · see citing works
Changes in grey matter induced by training
Draganski, B., Gaser, C., Busch, V., Schuierer, G., Bogdahn, U., & May, A. (2004) · Nature · doi:10.1038/427311a · Cited by 2,373 · see citing works
Mapping cortical change across the human life span
Sowell, E. R., Peterson, B. S., Thompson, P. M., Welcome, S. E., Henkenius, A. L., & Toga, A. W. (2003) · Nature Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/nn1008 · Cited by 2,328 · see citing works
Meta-analyzing left hemisphere language areas: phonology, semantics, and sentence processing.
Vigneau, M., Beaucousin, V., Hervé, P. Y., Duffau, H., Crivello, F., Houdé, O., Mazoyer, B., & Tzourio-Mazoyer, N. (2006) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2005.11.002 · Cited by 1,851 · see citing works
The Parieto-Frontal Integration Theory (P-FIT) of intelligence: Converging neuroimaging evidence
Jung, R. E., & Haier, R. J. (2007) · Behavioral and Brain Sciences · doi:10.1017/s0140525x07001185 · Cited by 1,593 · see citing works
Intellectual ability and cortical development in children and adolescents
Shaw, P., Greenstein, D., Lerch, J., Clasen, L., Lenroot, R., Gogtay, N., Evans, A., Rapoport, J., & Giedd, J. (2006) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature04513 · Cited by 1,543 · see citing works
Andersen, R. E., Crespo, C. J., Bartlett, S. J., Cheskin, L. J., & Pratt, M. (1998) · JAMA · doi:10.1001/jama.279.12.938 · Cited by 1,333 · see citing works
The structural basis of inter-individual differences in human behaviour and cognition
Kanai, R., & Rees, G. (2011) · Nature reviews. Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/nrn3000 · Cited by 1,055 · see citing works
Early television exposure and subsequent attentional problems in children
Christakis, D. A., Zimmerman, F. J., DiGiuseppe, D. L., & McCarty, C. A. (2004) · Pediatrics · doi:10.1542/peds.113.4.708 · Cited by 926 · see citing works
Precentral gyrus discrepancy in electronic versions of the Talairach atlas
Maldjian, J. A., Laurienti, P. J., & Burdette, J. H. (2003) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2003.09.032 · Cited by 868 · see citing works
The Effects of Television Violence on Antisocial Behavior: A Meta-Analysis1
Paik, H., & Comstock, G. A. (1994) · Communication Research · doi:10.1177/009365094021004004 · Cited by 857 · see citing works
How specific is a deficit of executive functioning for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder?
Sergeant, J. A., Geurts, H., & Oosterlaan, J. (2002) · Behavioural Brain Research · doi:10.1016/s0166-4328(01)00430-2 · Cited by 784 · cited 2× · see citing works
“…restricting children's TV viewing for a short period improved their cognitive abilities (Gadberry 1981) and another longitudinal study showed that TV viewing affected attention (Landhuis et al. 2007), which in turn is correlated with a wide range of cognitive performances (Sergeant et al. 2002).”
BackgroundKalina Christoff, A., & Gabrieli, J. D. E. (2000) · Psychobiology · doi:10.3758/bf03331976 · Cited by 684 · see citing works
Nonstationary cluster-size inference with random field and permutation methods
Hayasaka, S., Phan, K. L., Liberzon, I., Worsley, K. J., & Nichols, T. E. (2004) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2004.01.041 · Cited by 661 · see citing works
Structural brain variation and general intelligence
Haier, R. J., Jung, R. E., Yeo, R. A., Head, K., & Alkire, M. T. (2004) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2004.04.025 · Cited by 554 · see citing works
Children’s Television Viewing and Cognitive Outcomes
Zimmerman, F. J., & Christakis, D. (2005) · Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine · doi:10.1001/archpedi.159.7.619 · Cited by 514 · see citing works
The Effects of Media Violence on Society
Anderson, C. A., & Bushman, B. J. (2002) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1070765 · Cited by 472 · see citing works
Television Viewing and Aggressive Behavior During Adolescence and Adulthood
Johnson, J. G., Cohen, P. R., Smailes, E., Kasen, S., & Brook, J. S. (2002) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1062929 · Cited by 447 · see citing works
Sluming, V., Barrick, T. R., Howard, M. A., Cezayirli, E., Mayes, A. R., & Roberts, N. (2002) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1006/nimg.2002.1288 · Cited by 346 · see citing works
Relationships between IQ and Regional Cortical Gray Matter Thickness in Healthy Adults
Narr, K. L., Woods, R. P., Thompson, P. M., Szeszko, P. R., Robinson, D. G., Dimtcheva, T., Gurbani, M. N., Toga, A. W., & Bilder, R. M. (2006) · Cerebral Cortex · doi:10.1093/cercor/bhl125 · Cited by 339 · see citing works
Verbal and non-verbal intelligence changes in the teenage brain
Ramsden, S., Richardson, F. M., Josse, G., Thomas, M. S. C., Ellis, C., Shakeshaft, C., Seghier, M. L., & Price, C. J. (2011) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature10514 · Cited by 246 · see citing works
Inter-individual differences in empathy are reflected in human brain structure
Banissy, M. J., Ryota Kanai, C., Walsh, V., & Rees, G. E. (2012) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2012.05.081 · Cited by 228 · see citing works
Mapping IQ and gray matter density in healthy young people
Frangou, S., Chitins, X., & Williams, S. (2004) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2004.05.027 · Cited by 221 · see citing works
Landhuis, C. E., Poulton, R., Welch, D., & Hancox, R. J. (2007) · PEDIATRICS · doi:10.1542/peds.2007-0978 · Cited by 209 · see citing works
Preschool Television Viewing and Adolescent Test Scores: Historical Evidence from the Coleman Study
Gentzkow, M., & Shapiro, J. M. (2008) · The Quarterly Journal of Economics · doi:10.1162/qjec.2008.123.1.279 · Cited by 203 · see citing works
Johnson, J. G., Cohen, P., Kasen, S., & Brook, J. S. (2007) · Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine · doi:10.1001/archpedi.161.5.480 · Cited by 202 · see citing works
Haier, R. J., Karama, S., Leyba, L., & Jung, R. E. (2009) · BMC Research Notes · doi:10.1186/1756-0500-2-174 · Cited by 187 · see citing works
The Architecture of the Golfer's Brain
Jäncke, L., Koeneke, S., Hoppe, A., Rominger, C., & Hänggi, J. (2009) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0004785 · Cited by 182 · see citing works
Physical Activity and Motor Skills in Children with and without Visual Impairments
Houwen, S., Hartman, E. E., & Visscher, C. (2008) · Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise · doi:10.1249/mss.0b013e318183389d · Cited by 167 · see citing works
Bright spots: correlations of gray matter volume with IQ in a normal pediatric population
Wilke, M., Sohn, J., Byars, A. W., & Holland, S. K. (2003) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/s1053-8119(03)00199-x · Cited by 166 · see citing works
Takeuchi, H., Taki, Y., Sassa, Y., Hashizume, H., Sekiguchi, A., Fukushima, A., & Kawashima, R. (2011) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0023175 · Cited by 166 · see citing works
Self-citationKarama, S., Colom, R., Johnson, W., Deary, I. J., Haier, R. J., Waber, D. P., Lepage, C., Ganjavi, H., Jung, R. E., & Evans, A. C. (2011) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2011.01.016 · Cited by 166 · see citing works
Effects of working memory training on functional connectivity and cerebral blood flow during rest
Takeuchi, H., Taki, Y., Nouchi, R., Hashizume, H., Sekiguchi, A., Kotozaki, Y., Nakagawa, S., Miyauchi, C. M., Sassa, Y., & Kawashima, R. (2013) · Cortex · doi:10.1016/j.cortex.2012.09.007 · Cited by 162 · see citing works
Self-citationMenary, K. R., Collins, P. F., Porter, J. N., Muetzel, R. L., Olson, E. A., Kumar, V., Steinbach, M. S., Lim, K. O., & Luciana, M. M. (2013) · Intelligence · doi:10.1016/j.intell.2013.07.010 · Cited by 151 · see citing works
False positives in neuroimaging genetics using voxel-based morphometry data
Silver, M., Montana, G., & Nichols, T. E. (2011) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2010.08.049 · Cited by 146 · see citing works
Effects of Training of Processing Speed on Neural Systems
Takeuchi, H., Taki, Y., Hashizume, H., Sassa, Y., Nagase, T., Nouchi, R., & Kawashima, R. (2011) · Journal of Neuroscience · doi:10.1523/jneurosci.2948-11.2011 · Cited by 144 · see citing works
Self-citationTakeuchi, H., Taki, Y., Sassa, Y., Hashizume, H., Sekiguchi, A., Fukushima, A., & Kawashima, R. (2010) · Human Brain Mapping · doi:10.1002/hbm.21122 · Cited by 133 · see citing works
Self-citationHu, X., Erb, M., Ackermann, H., Martin, J. A., Grodd, W., & Reiterer, S. (2010) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2010.10.024 · Cited by 130 · see citing works
Brain structures associated with executive functions during everyday events in a non-clinical sample
Takeuchi, H., Taki, Y., Sassa, Y., Hashizume, H., Sekiguchi, A., Fukushima, A., & Kawashima, R. (2012) · Brain Structure and Function · doi:10.1007/s00429-012-0444-z · Cited by 127 · see citing works
Self-citationGong, Q., Sluming, V., Mayes, A. R., Keller, S. S., Barrick, T. R., Cezayirli, E., & Roberts, N. (2005) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2004.12.044 · Cited by 121 · see citing works
Lu, L., Leonard, C. M., Thompson, P. M., Kan, E., Jolley, J., Welcome, S., Toga, A. W., & Sowell, E. R. (2006) · Cerebral Cortex · doi:10.1093/cercor/bhl019 · Cited by 121 · see citing works
Schizotypy and brain structure: a voxel-based morphometry study
Modinos, G., Mechelli, A., Ormel, J., Groenewold, N. A., Aleman, A., & McGuire, P. K. (2009) · Psychological Medicine · doi:10.1017/s0033291709991875 · Cited by 92 · see citing works
Breakfast Staple Types Affect Brain Gray Matter Volume and Cognitive Function in Healthy Children
Taki, Y., Hashizume, H., Sassa, Y., Takeuchi, H., Asano, M., Asano, K., & Kawashima, R. (2010) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0015213 · Cited by 89 · see citing works
Self-citationAggression in Borderline Personality Disorder
Latalova, K., & Praško, J. (2010) · Psychiatric quarterly · doi:10.1007/s11126-010-9133-3 · Cited by 84 · see citing works
Television viewing and depression: No news is good news
Potts, R., & Sanchez, D. (1994) · Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media · doi:10.1080/08838159409364247 · Cited by 83 · see citing works
Hänggi, J., Buchmann, A., Mondadori, C., Henke, K., Jäncke, L., & Hock, C. (2010) · Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience · doi:10.1162/jocn.2008.21175 · Cited by 82 · see citing works
White matter structures associated with empathizing and systemizing in young adults
Takeuchi, H., Taki, Y., Thyreau, B., Sassa, Y., Hashizume, H., Sekiguchi, A., Nagase, T., Nouchi, R., Fukushima, A., & Kawashima, R. (2013) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2013.04.004 · Cited by 79 · see citing works
Self-citationKuhlmann, A., Bertsch, K., Schmidinger, I., Thomann, P. A., & Herpertz, S. C. (2013) · Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience · doi:10.1503/jpn.120039 · Cited by 78 · see citing works
Anatomical correlates of quality of life: Evidence from voxel‐based morphometry
Takeuchi, H., Taki, Y., Nouchi, R., Hashizume, H., Sassa, Y., Sekiguchi, A., Kotozaki, Y., Nakagawa, S., Nagase, T., Miyauchi, C. M., et al. (2013) · Human Brain Mapping · doi:10.1002/hbm.22294 · Cited by 75 · see citing works
Self-citationEffects of restricting first graders' TV-viewing on leisure time use, IQ change, and cognitive style
Gadberry, S. (1980) · Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology · doi:10.1016/0193-3973(80)90061-1 · Cited by 71 · see citing works
The Impact of Television Viewing on Mental Aptitude and Achievement: A Longitudinal Study
Gortmaker, S. L., Salter, C. A., Walker, D. K., & Dietz, W. H. (1990) · Public Opinion Quarterly · doi:10.1086/269230 · Cited by 65 · see citing works
Color atlas of neuroscience : neuroanatomy and neurophysiology
Greenstein, B., & Greenstein, A. (2000) · Cited by 51 · see citing works
Finding the g-factor in brain structure using the method of correlated vectors
Colom, R., Jung, R. E., & Haier, R. J. (2006) · Intelligence · doi:10.1016/j.intell.2006.03.006 · Cited by 50 · see citing works
Structural studies of the hypothalamus and its nuclei in mood disorders
Schindler, S., Geyer, S., Strauß, M., Anwander, A., Hegerl, U., Turner, R., & Schönknecht, P. (2012) · Psychiatry Research Neuroimaging · doi:10.1016/j.pscychresns.2011.06.005 · Cited by 49 · see citing works
The relation of children’s television viewing to school achievement and I.Q.
Ridley -Johnson, R., Cooper, H., & Chance, J. (1983) · The Journal of Educational Research · doi:10.1080/00220671.1983.10885469 · Cited by 40 · see citing works
VBM–DTI Correlates of Verbal Intelligence: A Potential Link to Broca's Area
Konrad, A., Vučurević, G., Musso, F., & Winterer, G. (2012) · Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience · doi:10.1162/jocn_a_00187 · Cited by 25 · see citing works
Lurito (2000) · doi:10.1002/1097-0193(200007)10:3
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Clinical and psychological effects of excessive screen time on children
Domingues‐Montanari, S. (2017) · Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health · doi:10.1111/jpc.13462 · Cited by 524 · see citing works
Kostyrka-Allchorne, K., Cooper, N. R., & Simpson, A. (2017) · Developmental Review · doi:10.1016/j.dr.2016.12.002 · Cited by 302 · see citing works
Horowitz‐Kraus, T., & Hutton, J. S. (2018) · Acta Paediatrica · doi:10.1111/apa.14176 · Cited by 190 · see citing works
Association Between Screen Time Trajectory and Early Childhood Development in Children in China
Zhao, J., Yu, Z., Sun, X., Wu, S., Zhang, J., Zhang, D., Zhang, Y., & Jiang, F. (2022) · JAMA Pediatrics · doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2022.1630 · Cited by 115 · see citing works
Wang, S., Dai, J., Li, J., Wang, X., Chen, T., Yang, X., He, M., & Gong, Q. (2018) · Human Brain Mapping · doi:10.1002/hbm.23944 · Cited by 99 · see citing works
Electronic media use and academic performance in late childhood: A longitudinal study
Mundy, L. K., Canterford, L., Hoq, M., Olds, T., Moreno-Betancur, M., Sawyer, S., Kosola, S., & Patton, G. C. (2020) · PLOS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0237908 · Cited by 54 · see citing works
Malhi, P., Bharti, B., & Sidhu, M. (2016) · Psychological Studies · doi:10.1007/s12646-015-0346-2 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
- Authors
- Takeuchi, H., Taki, Y., Hashizume, H., Asano, K., Asano, M., Sassa, Y., Yokota, S., Kotozaki, Y., Nouchi, R., & Kawashima, R.
- Affiliations
- Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University (JP)
- Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization (JP)
- International Research Institute of Disaster Science, Tohoku University (JP)
- Tohoku University (JP)
- Corresponding author
- Takeuchi, H.
- ORCID
- Venue
- Cerebral Cortex
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 2013-11-20
- Volume
- 25
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 1188-1197
- ISSN
- 1047-3211 (ISSN-L)
- 1460-2199
- OpenAlex
- W2125709153
- Cited by
- 140
- References
- 61
- Citations by year
- 2026: 9 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 18 · 2022: 18 · 2021: 14 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 12 · 2018: 13 · 2017: 6 · 2016: 8 · 2015: 12 · 2014: 1 · 2012: 1
- FWCI
- 33.73
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Cerebral Cortex (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Education › Child Development and Digital Technology
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Abilities and Testing
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Keywords
- television viewing, brain structure, gray matter volume, white matter volume, frontopolar cortex, medial prefrontal cortex, visual cortex, hypothalamus, sensorimotor cortex, verbal intelligence, children, longitudinal brain development, media effects on cognition
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Brain, Child, Cross-Sectional Studies, Female, Frontal Lobe, Humans, Hypothalamus, Intelligence Tests, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Television, Verbal Learning, Prefrontal Cortex, Septum of Brain, White Matter, Gray Matter
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review