Video gaming is a highly pervasive activity, providing a multitude of complex cognitive and motor demands. Gaming can be seen as an intense training of several skills. Associated cerebral structural plasticity induced has not been investigated so far. Comparing
a control with a video gaming training group that was trained for 2 months for at least 30 min per day with a platformer game, we found significant gray matter (GM) increase in right hippocampal formation (HC), right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and
bilateral cerebellum in the training group. The HC increase correlated with changes from egocentric to allocentric navigation strategy. GM increases in HC and DLPFC correlated with participants’ desire for video gaming, evidence suggesting a predictive role
of desire in volume change. Video game training augments GM in brain areas crucial for spatial navigation, strategic planning, working memory and motor performance going along with evidence for behavioral changes of navigation strategy. The presented video game training could therefore be used to counteract known risk factors for mental disease such as smaller hippocampus and prefrontal cortex volume in, for example, post-traumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia and neurodegenerative disease.

What makes this study different from previous studies that showed similar effects?

- This study is published in Nature Molecular Psychiatry, which is a top-tier journal in this field. That isn't to say it automatically makes the results true, but it is likely that the editing/reviewing process was more reliable than a lower-impact journal.

- This study directly measured grey matter volume using MRI

What implications might this study have for psychiatry?

- It is possible that video games might promote or protect neurons involved in specific tasks, such as spatial navigation and memory.

- Designing games that target specific neuronal deficits could be valuable treatments for psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders.