Exposure to media violence could affect our brain leading to poorer self-control and attention problems, scientists say.

A team of US scientists led by Vincent P. Mathews found that such exposure could be associated with alterations in brain function, according to science portal EurekAlert.

The team studied two groups - one with a history of violent behaviour and the other, or control group, with no behavioural problems. The groups, each of 14 boys and five girls, were exposed to different amounts of violent media in their everyday lives over a year.

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) brain images showed that members of the control group with high prior exposure showed less activity in the frontal cortex of the brain, an area linked to attention and self-control.

The group with a history of violent behaviour showed a similar brain pattern.

Less activity in the frontal cortex is an indication of poorer self-control and attention problems.

"We found that individuals in the control group with high media violence exposure showed a brain activation pattern similar to the pattern of the aggressive group," said Vincent P. Matthews.

"The researchers believe that this observation is the first demonstration of differences in brain function associated with media violence exposure."

However, they are planning to do more research on the neurological and self-control processes that underlie the aggressive behavior before drawing the final conclusion.