14 DAY TRIAL // A new study coming from the Max Planck Institute for Human Development and Charité University Medicine St. Hedwig-Krankenhaus suggests that playing video games might improve the regions of the brain linked to motor skills, memory, strategic planning and spatial navigation.
The researchers are saying that video games can directly affect the structural plasticity of the cerebral structures involved in many of the brain’s processes.
Simone Kühn, a senior scientist at the Center for Lifespan Psychology at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development, is quoted by Polygon as saying that, “While previous studies have shown differences in brain structure of video gamers, the present study can demonstrate the direct causal link between video gaming and a volumetric brain increase. This proves that specific brain regions can be trained by means of video games.”
Basically, video games can act as intensive training for some areas of the brain, which works well because the player is engaged with the mechanics of the titles and is enjoying the activity.
The research team has used 23 adults with an average age of 24 who were given the task of playing Super Mario 64 for at least half an hour each day for a two-month period.
Significant gray matter increase was seen in three areas of their brains: the right hippocampal formation, right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and bilateral cerebellum.
The teams at Max Planck Institute for Human Development and Charité University Medicine St. Hedwig-Krankenhaus believe that research into the effects of video games on brain activity could open up new ways of treating those who suffer from degenerative diseases like Alzheimer.
The small sample of the study means that more research is needed before a clear line can be drawn between time spent with video games and significant improvements to brain function, but the initial data seems promising.