6533b7cefe1ef96bd1257223

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Gaming is related to enhanced working memory performance and task-related cortical activity

Kirsti LonkaLauri HietajärviKimmo AlhoViljami SalmelaKatariina Salmela-aroVirve VuontelaKai HakkarainenMona MoisalaMona MoisalaSynnöve Carlson

subject

MaleBrain activity and meditationNeuropsychological TestsTask (project management)Developmental psychologyCohort StudiesCreativity0302 clinical medicineSurveys and Questionnairesgaming10. No inequalityta515Cerebral CortexBrain Mappingdorsolateral prefrontal cortexmedicine.diagnostic_testGeneral Neuroscience05 social sciencesSMA*Magnetic Resonance ImagingMemory Short-Termmedicine.anatomical_structurefunctional MRIFemalePsychologypsychological phenomena and processesCognitive psychologyAdolescent515 Psychologyeducationta3112behavioral disciplines and activitiesworking memory050105 experimental psychologyYoung Adult03 medical and health sciencesStimulus modalitymedicineHumans0501 psychology and cognitive sciencesAssociation (psychology)Molecular BiologyAnalysis of VarianceInternetWorking memorytyömuistiDorsolateral prefrontal cortexCross-Sectional StudiesVideo Gamesadolescence516 Educational sciencesSelf ReportNeurology (clinical)Functional magnetic resonance imaginghuman activities030217 neurology & neurosurgeryDevelopmental Biology

description

Gaming experience has been suggested to lead to performance enhancements in a wide variety of working memory tasks. Previous studies have, however, mostly focused on adult expert gamers and have not included measurements of both behavioral performance and brain activity. In the current study, 167 adolescents and young adults (aged 13–24 years) with different amounts of gaming experience performed an n-back working memory task with vowels, with the sensory modality of the vowel stream switching between audition and vision at random intervals. We studied the relationship between self-reported daily gaming activity, working memory (n-back) task performance and related brain activity measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The results revealed that the extent of daily gaming activity was related to enhancements in both performance accuracy and speed during the most demanding (2-back) level of the working memory task. This improved working memory performance was accompanied by enhanced recruitment of a fronto-parietal cortical network, especially the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. In contrast, during the less demanding (1-back) level of the task, gaming was associated with decreased activity in the same cortical regions. Our results suggest that a greater degree of daily gaming experience is associated with better working memory functioning and task difficulty-dependent modulation in fronto-parietal brain activity already in adolescence and even when non-expert gamers are studied. The direction of causality within this association cannot be inferred with certainty due to the correlational nature of the current study. peerReviewed

yearjournalcountryeditionlanguage
2017-01-01
10.1016/j.brainres.2016.10.027http://hdl.handle.net/10138/231029