Multi-scale EEG evidence for attention enhancement following long-term action video game training

Action video games (AVGs), characterized by a fast pace and high perceptual load, have been increasingly applied to probe cognitive enhancement and neural plasticity. While substantial behavioral evidence confirms that AVG training enhances various cognitive functions such as attention, the underlying mechanisms of neural plasticity, particularly from the perspective of dynamic, large-scale functional coordination, remain incompletely understood. Existing studies are largely limited by short training paradigms and an emphasis on local EEG measures, making it difficult to capture the systemic neural remodeling associated with prolonged training. In this single-group longitudinal intervention study, a six-month AVG training program (120 h in total) was conducted in healthy young adults to examine neural and behavioral changes related to long-term AVG training. Behavioral performance improved across the training period in both the d2 Test of Attention and the Attention Breadth task. Resting-state EEG was analyzed using a multi-level framework that combined PSD-based local analysis with network-based indices of large-scale functional organization. Association models were constructed to link neural features with behavioral gains, and model performance was evaluated using leave-one-subject-out cross-validation based on the correlation between predicted and observed behavioral improvements. These findings may help to better characterize the neurophysiological basis of cognitive training and may provide preliminary insights for the development of personalized cognitive rehabilitation strategies.