Increased cortical thickness in professional on-line gamers.
OBJECTIVE
The bulk of recent studies have tested whether video games change the brain in terms of activity and cortical volume. However, such studies are limited by several factors including cross-sectional comparisons, co-morbidity, and short-term follow-up periods. In the present study, we hypothesized that cognitive flexibility and the volume of brain cortex would be correlated with the career length of on-line pro-gamers.


METHODS
High-resolution magnetic resonance scans were acquired in twenty-three pro-gamers recruited from StarCraft pro-game teams. We measured cortical thickness in each individual using FreeSurfer and the cortical thickness was correlated with the career length and the performance of the pro-gamers.


RESULTS
CAREER LENGTH WAS POSITIVELY CORRELATED WITH CORTICAL THICKNESS IN THREE BRAIN REGIONS: right superior frontal gyrus, right superior parietal gyrus, and right precentral gyrus. Additionally, increased cortical thickness in the prefrontal cortex was correlated with winning rates of the pro-game league. Increased cortical thickness in the prefrontal and parietal cortices was also associated with higher performance of Wisconsin Card Sorting Test.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results suggest that in individuals without pathologic conditions, regular, long-term playing of on-line games is associated with volume changes in the prefrontal and parietal cortices, which are associated with cognitive flexibility.
Department of Psychiatry, Chung Ang University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Gi Jung
GJ
Hyun
Department of Psychiatry, ASAN Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Yong Wook
YW
Shin
Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Bung-Nyun
BN
Kim
Uimyung Research Institute for Neurosciecne, Samyook University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Jae Hoon
JH
Cheong
Department of Psychiatry, Chung Ang University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Seong Nam
SN
Jin
Department of Psychiatry, Chung Ang University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Doug Hyun
DH
Han
Cognitive flexibility; Cortical thickness; Frontal cortex; On-line game