Neural bases of enhanced attentional control: Lessons from action video game players.

Julia Föcker,Daniel Cole,Daphne Bavelier,Anton L Beer

doi:10.1002/brb3.1019

Abstract

ObjectivesThe ability to resist distraction and focus on‐task‐relevant information while being responsive to changes in the environment is fundamental to goal‐directed behavior. Such attentional control abilities are regulated by a constant interplay between previously characterized bottom‐up and top‐down attentional networks. Here we ask about the neural changes within these two attentional networks that may mediate enhanced attentional control.Materials and MethodsTo address this question, we contrasted action video game players (AVGPs) and nonvideo game players (NVGPs) in a Posner‐cueing paradigm, building on studies documenting enhanced attentional control in AVGPs.ResultsBehavioral results indicated a trend for more efficient target processing in AVGPs, and better suppression in rare catch trials for which responses had to be withheld. During the cue period, AVGPs recruited the top‐down network less than NVGPs, despite showing comparable validity effects, in line with a greater efficiency of that network in AVGPs. During target processing, as previously shown, recruitment of top‐down areas correlated with greater processing difficulties, but only in NVGPs. AVGPs showed no such effect, but rather greater activation across the two networks. In particular, the right temporoparietal junction, middle frontal gyrus, and superior parietal cortex predicted better task performance in catch trials. A functional connectivity analysis revealed enhanced correlated activity in AVGPs compared to NVGPs between parietal and visual areas.ConclusionsThese results point to dynamic functional reconfigurations of top‐down and bottom‐up attentional networks in AVGPs as attentional demands vary. Aspects of this functional reconfiguration that may act as key signatures of high attentional control are discussed.

Highlights

Attentional control is crucial to our everyday behavior, allowing us to filter through the vast amount of information we are confronted with all the while remaining aware of possible changes in our environment
Two action video game players (AVGPs) datasets were incomplete due to technical problems; an error at recruitment led to the initial misclassification of 2 participants as nonvideo game players (NVGPs); as these participants qualified as neither AVGPs nor NVGPs, they were excluded from the analyses
To localize each brain site bilaterally, we reduced the voxel level threshold to p < 0.03 (z > 1.8) which allowed us to determine within our sample the left middle frontal gyrus, right frontal eye field, right temporoparietal junction and the right cingulate cortex

Summary

Introduction

Attentional control is crucial to our everyday behavior, allowing us to filter through the vast amount of information we are confronted with all the while remaining aware of possible changes in our environment. Among the interventions hypothesized to potentially benefit from attentional control are various forms of rather complex training regimens, including physical exercise, mind- brain meditation techniques, playing a musical instrument, working memory training, and playing action-packed video games. The possibility of enhancing attentional control through these techniques has been explored throughout the life span from children to older adults (video games: Bavelier, Green, & Dye, 2010; Green & Bavelier, 2012; physical exercise: Voss, Nagamatsu, Liu-Ambrose, & Kramer, 2011; working memory training: Klingberg, 2010; meditation: Gard, Hölzel, & Lazar, 2014; Mooneyham, Mrazek, Mrazek, & Schooler, 2016; Slagter, Davidson, & Lutz, 2011; musical training: Schellenberg, 2015)

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