Low 2D:4D Values Are Associated with Video Game Addiction

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 8; no. 11; p. e79539
• Main Authors: Kornhuber, Johannes, Zenses, Eva-Maria, Lenz, Bernd, Stoessel, Christina, Bouna-Pyrrou, Polyxeni, Rehbein, Florian, Kliem, Sören, Mößle, Thomas
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 13.11.2013; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Addiction; Addictions; Adolescent; Adult; Androgens; Androgens - metabolism; Area Under Curve; Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; Behavior, Addictive - epidemiology; Behavior, Addictive - etiology; Brain; Brain architecture; Comparative analysis; Computer & video games; Criminology; Embryogenesis; Embryonic growth stage; Exposure; Fingers; Fingers - anatomy & histology; Humans; Male; Males; Pregnant women; Prenatal experience; Risk taking; ROC Curve; Signal Transduction; Signaling; Studies; Video Games; Young Adult; Germany
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0079539

Androgen-dependent signaling regulates the growth of the fingers on the human hand during embryogenesis. A higher androgen load results in lower 2D:4D (second digit to fourth digit) ratio values. Prenatal androgen exposure also impacts brain development. 2D:4D values are usually lower in males and are viewed as a proxy of male brain organization. Here, we quantified video gaming behavior in young males. We found lower mean 2D:4D values in subjects who were classified according to the CSAS-II as having at-risk/addicted behavior (n = 27) compared with individuals with unproblematic video gaming behavior (n = 27). Thus, prenatal androgen exposure and a hyper-male brain organization, as represented by low 2D:4D values, are associated with problematic video gaming behavior. These results may be used to improve the diagnosis, prediction, and prevention of video game addiction.