Habitual action video game playing is associated with caudate nucleus-dependent navigational strategies

Abstract

The habitual playing of video games is associated with increased grey matter and activity in the striatum. Studies in humans and rodents have shown an inverse relationship between grey matter in the striatum and hippocampus. We investigated whether action video game playing is also associated with increased use of response learning strategies during navigation, known to be dependent on the caudate nucleus of the striatum, when presented in a dual solution task. We tested 26 action video game players (actionVGPs) and 33 non-action video game players (nonVGPs) on the 4-on-8 virtual maze and a visual attention event-related potential (ERP) task, which elicits a robust N-2-posterior-controlateral (N2pc) component. We found that actionVGPs had a significantly higher likelihood of using a response learning strategy (80.76%) compared to nonVGPs (42.42%). Consistent with previous evidence, actionVGPs and nonVGPs differed in the way they deployed visual attention to central and peripheral targets as observed in the elicited N2pc component during an ERP visual attention task. Increased use of the response strategy in actionVGPs is consistent with previously observed increases in striatal volume in video game players (VGPs). Using response strategies is associated with decreased grey matter in the hippocampus. Previous studies have shown that decreased volume in the hippocampus precedes the onset of many neurological and psychiatric disorders. If actionVGPs have lower grey matter in the hippocampus, as response learners normally do, then these individuals could be at increased risk of developing neurological and psychiatric disorders during their lifetime.

Brain responses during strategic online gaming of varying proficiencies: Implications for better gaming

“…The greater regional activations in the visual system, motor system, and the thalamus, and the enhanced functional connectivity among these brain regions, in the good‐playing trials suggest better coordination of visual, sensory and motor control during good as compared to poor gaming. These findings seem consistent with the notion that playing online games well involves relatively greater activation of sensory and motor systems and their coordination (Bejjanki et al., 2014; West et al., 2015). …”

“…In addition, stronger functional activity was found between the striatum and the middle frontal gyrus, inferior frontal gyrus and precentral gyrus. While the striatum has been implicated in reward, motivation and learning, it has also been linked to the use of cognitive strategies (Iaria, Petrides, Dagher, Pike, & Bohbot, 2003; West et al., 2015) and stimulus‐response learning, which involves making a particular action when facing a specific environmental stimulus (Lerch et al., 2011). Koepp et al.…”

“…Teenagers will spend nearly ten thousand hours playing games by the time they are 21 years old, and collectively about 3 billion hours per week is spent on gaming around the world (McGonigal, 2011a,b). In one respect, online gaming may improve performance on visual, attentional, perceptual, and cognitive tasks (Anguera et al., 2013; Bejjanki et al., 2014; Li, Polat, Makous, & Bavelier, 2009) and has been associated with changes in neural functioning (West et al., 2015). On the other hand, excessive gaming has been linked to a variety of disorders, especially Internet gaming disorder, which may involve functional impairments and social, financial, and occupational difficulties (Dong, Wang, Du, & Potenza, 2017; Wang et al., 2016).…”

“…Specific types of gaming, especially strategic forms, often involve complex, cooperative, and competitive behaviors. Competitive gaming often requires that players monitor fast‐paced and concurrent visual and auditory stimuli, using proper strategies to react quickly to competitors and their behaviors, and in doing so, individuals playing competitive games often need to react rapidly and switch flexibly between tasks while holding information in working memory (Bejjanki et al., 2014; Richlan, Schubert, Mayer, Hutzler, & Kronbichler, 2018; Wang, Zhu, Qi, Huang, & Li, 2017; West et al., 2015). Thus, this process requires the involvement of brain regions involved in multiple processing domains (e.g., visual, attention, motor control, working memory, strategic planning) (Katsyri, Hari, Ravaja, & Nummenmaa, 2013; Stockdale, Morrison, Palumbo, Garbarino, & Silton, 2017).…”

“…Although several studies have investigated brain responses to gaming and their relationships to cognitive functioning (Bejjanki et al., 2014; West et al., 2015), however, few have investigated brain activities relating to gaming proficiency (that is, good vs. average or poor gaming). Focusing on this issue could provide an improved understanding of brain responses involved in gaming performance, and allow for exploration of brain features that are responsible for good/bad/average gaming.…”