Increased Cortical Thickness in Professional On-Line Gamers

• 발행기관: 대한신경정신의학회
• 저자명: GiJung Hyun YongWook Shin BungNyun Kim JaeHoon Cheong SeongNam Jin DougHyun Han
• 간행물 정보: 『Psychiatry Investigation』제10권 제4호, 388~392쪽, 전체 5쪽
• 주제분류: 의약학 > 정신과학
• 파일형태: PDF
• 발행일자: 2013.12.31

영문 초록

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. Conclusion-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.

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INTRODUCTION

METHODS

RESULTS

DISCUSSION

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

REFERENCES

키워드

On-line game, Cortical thickness, Frontal cortex, Cognitive flexibility