Structural brain differences associated with extensive massively-multiplayer video gaming.

Abstract

Video gaming can be associated with inter-individual differences in brain morphology. Much of this literature has focused on non-professional/occasional gamers who barely play, on the one extreme; or Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) cases who typically play more than 5h/day, on the other extreme. We sought to extend this literature and focus on extensive gamers, who play about 3h/day, which is typically more than non-professional gamers, but less than IGD cases. Findings regarding this sector of gamers can inform research on risk factors or markers for IGD development, even before addiction symptoms emerge. We predicted that extensive gamers have smaller prefrontal regions that presumably reflect weaker inhibition abilities, and larger visuomotor regions that presumably reflect stronger motor skills in response to visual stimuli. We tested these assertions with a between-subject brain morphology comparison of 26 extensive League of Legends (LOL) and matched 26 non-gamers, using voxel based morphometry, deformation based morphometry, and cortical thickness and sulcus depth analyses. Findings largely supported our predictions by pointing to morphological alterations in extensive gamers in the bilateral ventromedial prefrontal cortex and left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, as well is in the left superior parietal lobule. These findings suggest that extensive gamers, at least of Massive-Multiplayer battle arena games, present brain alterations that are consistent with presumed loss of control (as mediated by the prefrontal cortex), but also improved attention and visoumotor skills (as mediated by superior parietal lobule). Implications for research and practice are discussed.