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KMID : 1118520130100040388
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Psychiatry Investigation
2013 Volume.10 No. 4 p.388 ~ p.392
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Increased Cortical Thickness in Professional On-Line Gamers
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Hyun Gi-Jung
Shin Yong-Wook
Kim Bung-Nyun
Cheong Jae-Hoon
Jin Seong-Nam
Han Doug-Hyun
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Abstract
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Objective: The bulk of recent studies have tested whether video games change the brain in terms of activity and cortical volume. However, such studies are limited by several factors including cross-sectional comparisons, co-morbidity, and short-term follow-up periods. In the present study, we hypothesized that cognitive flexibility and the volume of brain cortex would be correlated with the career length of on-line pro-gamers.
Methods: High-resolution magnetic resonance scans were acquired in twenty-three pro-gamers recruited from StarCraft pro-game teams. We measured cortical thickness in each individual using FreeSurfer and the cortical thickness was correlated with the career length and the performance of the pro-gamers.
Results: Career length was positively correlated with cortical thickness in three brain regions: right superior frontal gyrus, right superior parietal gyrus, and right precentral gyrus. Additionally, increased cortical thickness in the prefrontal cortex was correlated with winning rates of the pro-game league. Increased cortical thickness in the prefrontal and parietal cortices was also associated with higher performance of Wisconsin Card Sorting Test.
Conclusion: Our results suggest that in individuals without pathologic conditions, regular, long-term playing of on-line games is associated with volume changes in the prefrontal and parietal cortices, which are associated with cognitive flexibility.
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KEYWORD
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On-line game, Cortical thickness, Frontal cortex, Cognitive flexibility
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