Look for this headline coming soon to your favorite science blog: People who obsessively play video games truly may be “thick in the head.”
At this moment, hardcore gamers are groaning, “OK, here it comes, another study about how video games are bad for you.”
But this time, being “thick” in the head has a definite upside.
Researchers in Europe have discovered that heavy video game play is associated with increased density in certain important brain areas … a characteristic known to neuroscientists as “cortical thickness.”
Researchers looked at images of the brains of 14-year-old boys and girls who played video games about 12-and-a-half hours a week.
The scientists were trying to see whether they could find any anatomical evidence to support whether improved brain function is associated with frequent video game playing.
The scans showed teens who logged the most hours with game controls in their hands indeed had thicker brain matter in two regions, including a section of what is often regarded as the brain’s command center … the prefrontal cortex.
The prefrontal cortex plays important roles in decision-making and working memory.
What’s more, imaging revealed extra thickness in the gamers’ frontal eye field, an important area for coordinating visual information with movement.
This is where the brain begins to figure out decisions like whether to swing at a pitch or jump out of the way of a moving vehicle.
The scientists said increased thickness in these neural regions represents additional connections between brain cells and robust cognitive function.
The researchers have not demonstrated that playing video games actually causes these vital brain areas to grow.
However, the study shows more than just chance is at play at the intersection between greater brain density and video gaming.
So … anyone up for a game?