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Updated: Jan 16, 2026

Combining Computer Game-Based Behavioural Experiments With High-Density EEG and Infrared Gaze Tracking
Published on: December 16, 2010
Action Video Gaming Enhances Brain Structure: Increased Cortical Thickness and White Matter Integrity in Occipital
Chandrama Mukherjee1, Kyle Cahill1, Mukesh Dhamala1,2,3,4
1Department of Physics and Astronomy, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA.
Background:
Action video games-particularly first-person-shooter (FPS), real-time-strategy (RTS), multiplayer-online-battle-arena (MOBA), and battle-royale (BR) titles-have been linked to enhanced visuospatial skills, yet their impact on brain structure remains unclear.
Purpose:
To examine, using a cross-sectional design, whether long-term exposure to high-speed genres is associated with variations in cortical thickness and white matter microstructure.
Methods:
Structural and diffusion MRI were acquired from 27 video-game players (VGPs) and 19 non-video-game players (NVGPs). FreeSurfer-derived cortical thickness and DSI-Studio quantitative anisotropy (QA) were compared between groups, co-varying for intracranial volume. All p-values were Holm-Bonferroni- and FDR-corrected; bootstrap 95% CIs are reported.
Results:
VGPs showed greater cortical thickness in right inferior and superior parietal, supramarginal, and precuneus cortices (ηp2 = 0.12-0.21) and higher QA along right SOG-SPL and left SOG-IPL tracts.
Conclusions:
Frequent action gaming is associated with greater cortical thickness in the dorsal stream and enhanced occipito-parietal connectivity. However, causal inference is precluded; longitudinal work is warranted.
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