Action video gaming and the brain: fMRI effects without behavioral effects in visual and verbal cognitive tasks

Abstract

IntroductionIn this functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study, we compared task performance together with brain activation in a visuospatial task (VST) and a letter detection task (LDT) between longtime action video gamers (N = 14) and nongamers (N = 14) in order to investigate possible effects of gaming on cognitive and brain abilities.MethodsBased on previous research, we expected advantages in performance for experienced action video gamers accompanied by less activation (due to higher efficiency) as measured by fMRI in the frontoparietal attention network.ResultsContrary to these expectations, we did not find differences in overall task performance, nor in brain activation during the VST. We identified, however, a significantly different increase in the BOLD signal from a baseline task to the LDT in action video gamers compared with nongamers. This increased activation was evident in a number of frontoparietal regions including the left middle paracingulate cortex, the left superior frontal sulcus, the opercular part of the left inferior frontal gyrus, and the left and right posterior parietal cortex. Furthermore, we found increased activation in the triangular part of the left inferior frontal gyrus in gamers relative to nongamers when activation during the LDT was compared with activation during the VST.ConclusionsIn sum, the expected positive relation between action video game experience and cognitive performance could not be confirmed. Despite their comparable task performance, however, gamers and nongamers exhibited clear‐cut differences in brain activation patterns presumably reflecting differences in neural engagement, especially during verbal cognitive tasks.

Lenticular nucleus volume predicts performance in real-time strategy game - cross-sectional and training approach using voxel-based morphometry

“…Evidence for lateralization related to specific movement has already been well described in the literature (65,66). What is more, the observed result is consistent with the findings of other researchers, who showed that action video game players in comparison to non-players are characterized by faster reaction times in tasks that measure visual and spatial abilities, but only when responses were given using the non-dominant hand (67). It should be mentioned that we did not observe a relationship between the size of the lenticular nucleus and experience with RTS games.…”

Lenticular nucleus volume predicts performance in real‐time strategy game: cross‐sectional and training approach using voxel‐based morphometry

“…74,75 What is more, there is a study showing that action video game players are characterized by faster reaction times in tasks that measure visual and spatial abilities (in comparison with nonplayers), but only when responses were given using the nondominant hand. 76 It should be mentioned that we did not observe a relationship between the size of the LN and experience with RTS games. Other studies 12,77,78 have similarly failed to show such correlations, suggesting that the relationship between anatomical plasticity measured using VBM methods and behavior may be more complex and mediated by other variables.…”

Converging Evidence Supporting the Cognitive Link between Exercise and Esport Performance: A Dual Systematic Review

“…AVGPs outperformed NGs on measures of visual and spatial aspects of information processing speed. Moreover, despite failing to find differences in overall task performance, an fMRI study by Richlan and colleagues [ 104 ] identified a significant increase in the blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) signal in frontoparietal regions from baseline to post-test, reflecting increased neural engagement in AVGPs compared to NGs. According to Laplace’s rule of succession, a future study would have a 93.75% chance of finding AVGPs to show superior information processing ability compared to NGs.…”