How gaming changes the structure of the brain

Our kids spend time gaming - and admitted - the parents really enjoy gaming too. The hyper-focus and complete forgetting of the world, the stimulus, and the problem solving is all great entertainment. 

While gaming has been criticized for being addictive and increasing aggression, it has cognitive benefits too - in fact quite many.

This article is not all about these positive effects of gaming, but also about how the brain changes in gamers. The neuroanatomy of a gamer-brain.

Known positive effects of gaming
Action video games push players into fast-paced, high-stake environments where quick thinking is essential. Gamers must rapidly process visual information and make split-second decisions, perfecting their abilities through repetition and practice. 

Many studies have been done on the cognitive changes in gamers vs. non-gamers, showing that playing action video games for a long time is linked to better thinking and problem-solving skills. 

Gamers tend to stay focused, ignore distractions more easily, pay better attention to objects and spaces around them, and track multiple moving things more accurately. 

They are also quicker at spotting important details, less affected by brief visual interruptions, and better at noticing small differences in brightness and contrast. 

Additionally, they develop stronger mental rotation skills, allowing them to visualize and manipulate objects in 3D in their minds more effectively. 

Overall, action video games can enhance attention, perception, and decision-making abilities.

However, most studies have left unanswered how these brain "modifications" are reflected in changes in the brain's anatomy. That is, there is a lack of studies that detect changes in the brain anatomy from gaming and relate them to real-world cognitive improvements.

Neuroplasticity
The human brain is a dynamic system capable of adapting to new challenges. This ability to change is called neuroplasticity. It allows the brain to reorganize its structure and function based on experience. 

Action video games provide an intense visual and motor training ground that may drive such neuroplastic changes.

Earlier research has shown that a gamers' motor system react to visual stimuli more quickly than non-gamers without sacrificing accuracy, suggesting an optimization of the structure of the brain’s information-processing networks.

Measuring brain connections in gamers
Visual processing is how the brain understands and makes sense of the information it receives from the eyes. When light enters the eyes, the brain works to recognize things like shapes, colors, and movement. It helps us figure out what objects are, how far away they are, and how to react to what we're looking at.

The two-streams hypothesis explains how our brain processes visual information using two separate pathways: the dorsal stream (the "how" pathway) and the ventral stream (the "what" pathway). 

The dorsal stream (running from the occipital to the parietal lobe) helps us interact with objects by guiding movements like reaching, grasping, or dodging. The ventral stream (going to the temporal lobe) helps us recognize faces, objects, and colors. In short, one pathway helps us understand what we see, while the other tells us how to act upon it.

In a new study, researchers explored how long-term gaming influences these two major pathways in the brain responsible for visual processing.

By studying these pathways with brain scans, the scientists wanted to assess the brain's connectivity and uncover the physical brain changes behind how gaming improves vision-based decision-making. 

Connectivity can be divided into functional and structural connectivity.

Functional is about how different parts of the brain communicate and work together to carry out tasks, even if they aren't physically connected. 

Structural connectivity is about the physical connections between different parts of the brain, like pathways made of nerve fibers that communicate directly. You can think of it as the brain's "wiring," which lets information flow between regions. 

Brain changes and faster response times
The study included 28 gamers and 19 non-gamers. Participants who indicated playing five hours per week or more in one of four types of video game genres for the last two years were considered gamers. 

Participants who were non-gamers in this study averaged less than 30 minutes per week in any video game over the last two years. 

Whole-brain structural and functional MR imaging were acquired while participants completed the behavioral tasks.

They found that action video gamers had enhanced connectivity, especially in the dorsal visual stream that integrates visual input to motor output (the stream that tells us how to act upon something we see).

The changes were especially pronounced on the left side of the brain (all the gamers were right-handed - and the left brain controls the right hand). This increased connectivity correlated with the faster response time in gamers. The MRI scans also indicated that gamers have more organized and efficient neural pathways.

The findings also underline the influence of video game experience on neuroplasticity and the fact that long-term gaming appears to alter the brain’s physical structure.

Gaming as training?
While this study confirms that action gaming alters the brain connectivity and basic structure, questions remain about the broader implications. 

Future research should explore how different game genres impact cognition and whether these effects extend to everyday activities. 

Longitudinal studies tracking brain changes over time could reveal how quickly these adaptations occur and whether they persist after gamers stop playing. 

As researchers continue to uncover the complex relationship between gaming and neuroplasticity, video games may transition from mere entertainment to powerful cognitive training tools.

About the scientific paper:

First author: Kyle Cahill, USA
Published: Brain Sciences, November 2024
Link to paper: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/14/12/1206