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[CapitalismSucks DonkeyBalls]

OK, so I have access to the full article, and have some basis for understanding what they were doing (I work as a psychologist).

Basically, they observed a strategic difference in how people who play action video games and those who do not solve a particular puzzle. In their discussion they cite previous research that suggests that these strategies are more dependent on different brain areas.

They also cite other lines of research on how the grey matter density of these areas could impact people (such as lower density in the hippocampus being associated with dementia). However, discussion sections are often kind of a discussion of what results could mean and what their implications could be. In this way, the most direct conclusion from their research is simply that the players of action video games are more likely to use a particular strategy than those who do not.

Everything else is speculation to some extent. Moreover, even if we assume that there is a connection between "action gamers" being more reliant on the caudate nucleus than the hippocampus, they do not have any indication it would result in reduced hippocampus grey matter density. They also suggest that the differences may be the result of action gamers utilizing more efficient attention strategies, which could have also thrown off one of their measurements. Finally, there is also a limitation in that they saw somewhat large individual variation within the groups, indicating that more research needs to be done on these strategies without other factors like video games.

At the end they refer to "action-RPG ego shooter video games," a categorization from another article. This strikes me as funny (and a good example of the technical jargon that gets thrown around in research articles), as I'm both a gamer and a psychologist and I have no clue what that means.

Caudate nucleus is a structure within the basal ganglia which is responsible for planning and organization as well as the coordination and intended direction of motor movements. The hippocampus is simply used for consolidating long-term memory and is made up of the semantic and episodic memories.

The only consequence I can see here is that planning and organization becomes functionally impaired with the onset of Alzheimer's as does some forms of long-term memory, particularly episodic memory.

How does this tie into videogames? My only assumption is that long-term gaming can inhibit the effectiveness of the caudate nucleus and, in some respects, the basal ganglia thus impacting future planning (remembering to do things). Concerning the hippocampus, you're looking at anterograde amnesia and deteriorating short-term memory with the onset of Alzheimer's-type dementia.

The link between Alzheimer's and gaming is very weak. You should be more concerned with lessening the amount of Doritos and Dews you consume while playing as your more likely to induce dementia through a future stroke or blood clot.

 

[Cavalier]

Link to the research article (source):
http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/282/1808/20142952

An abridged list of the action video games participants reported playing includes first-person shooters such as Fallout 3, Borderlands 2, Counterstrike and Call of Duty and third-person shooter/adventure games such as Grand Theft Auto V, Tomb Raider (2012) and Gears of War.

The actionVGP group had an average age of 23.88 (±3.94) and reported playing an average of 17.9 (±10.44) hours per week during the past six months, while the nonVGP group had an average age of 24.36 (±3.68) and played 0 h per week of action games during this time.

Test 1:

i) 4-on-8 virtual maze

The 4/8VM is a behavioural task that provides an indirect measure of hippocampus and striatum volume and function during navigation

The task comprises several trials, which consisted of two parts. In Part 1, a set of barriers block four of the eight arms. The participant is instructed to pick up objects located at the end of the four open arms. Additionally, the participant is told to remember which pathways they visited because, in Part 2, all of the pathways are accessible and the objects that they must retrieve are situated in the pathways that were previously inaccessible.

Result:

Test 2:

(ii) N2pc visual attention task

To investigate whether our cohort of actionVGPs and nonVGPs differed in visual attentional processes as previously reported, participants completed a visual spatial attention task while an electroencephalogram (EEG) was recorded.

They were asked to fixate on a point at the centre of the screen that remained on screen for the remainder of the trial. After 600 ms (±200 ms), a 150 ms bilateral visual display appeared. The display consisted of four coloured squares (two on each side of fixation in the lower quadrants), each with a gap in one of their four sides. When present, the target stimulus was orange (frequent colour) or green (rare colour) among blue distractors. All colours were adjusted to be equiluminant using a chromometre (Minolta CS100) to control for low-level sensory responses.

When the target square had a gap on its left, right or bottom side (frequent condition, p = 0.75) participants responded by pressing the ‘V’ key on a keyboard, whereas they pressed the ‘N’ key only when the target square had a gap on the top side (infrequent condition, p = 0.25).

Result:

 

[Mihos]

meh... it was worth it.

 

[spekkeh]

To call going from observed behavior to brain structures to turning correlation into causation and linking it to long term mental disorders tenuous is an understatement, that's straight shooting from the hip dead seals cause global warming levels.

But it's still a somewhat worrisome result for the serious games industry. If gamers immediately go for superficial trial and error techniques instead of trying to comprehend information on a deeper level, then games might not be very good for learning after all.

Then again there's probably a strong self-selection bias at work here. For game addicts who almost exclusively play action games, superficial approaches might be the normal modus operandi.

 

[Cavalier]

Everything else is speculation to some extent.

Moreover, even if we assume that there is a connection between "action gamers" being more reliant on the caudate nucleus than the hippocampus, they do not have any indication it would result in reduced hippocampus grey matter density.

I wouldn't say they're assuming. Their statements are supported by research for the most part.


Connection 1:
There is a connection between action gamers having significantly larger striatum and caudate nucleus:
http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/282/1808/20142952#ref-12

Connection 1b:
An activity that increases hippocampus size, will decrease caudate nucleus and vice versa.
http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/lookup/external-ref?access_num=000222706700003&link_type=ISI
http://www.jneurosci.org/content/23...45df560fc6452d9a18c1f5e1&keytype2=tf_ipsecsha

Connection 2:
When undergoing 4/8VM test, there is a connection that for response learners (action gamers), it showed that there was increased activity and grey matter in caudate nucleus and decreased grey matter and activity in hippocampus -> indicating they rely more on their caudate nucleus than hippocampus in comparison to the healthy subjects (see the result above from my other post):
http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing..../13/5945&atom=/royprsb/282/1808/20142952.atom

Connection 3:
Reduced grey matter in hippocampus has been linked to increased risk for neurological disorders including Schizophrenia, Alzeimher's, etc...
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16682538?access_num=16682538&link_type=MED&dopt=Abstract
http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing....type=MED&atom=/royprsb/282/1808/20142952.atom

And as the researchers have said:

Future research using neuroimaging is necessary to further qualify these initial findings and should investigate the direct effects of action video games on hippocampal integrity.

Our current 4/8VM data suggest that the high rate of response strategy use in actionVGPs compared with nonVGPs could also indicate a reduction in hippocampus integrity in actionVGPs. This possibility needs further research as reduced grey matter in the hippocampus has been associated with an increased risk for numerous neurological and psychiatric disorders across the lifespan such as schizophrenia [64], post-traumatic stress disorder [65], depression [66] and Alzheimer's disease [67,68], and cognitive deficits in normal ageing [69] and non-hippocampus-dependent response strategies are associated with addiction [43]. Since our current results did not directly measure hippocampal function, further research on the specific effects of action video games on this system is needed.

So this should be interesting.

 

[Northeastmonk]

Considering all the hand holding in today's games. I think they're looking up at the stars and making things up.

Sometimes I feel video games get blamed over movies simply because it's an interaction more than it is sitting and watching something.

The military supposidly uses a sim made by the ArmA team, Bohemia, which doesn't look threatening at all. Now some would say that teaches something, but more gamers aren't going to sit there and be influenced. Most of us do far more in games than the people who take time or try out those products for their job.

A lot of it feels like a joke.

With a free floating camera and a very well versed person, these people seem to be playing with their book knowledge. The majority of these games were played by millions. The researchers buy these games and do weird studies with them.

 

[Krejlooc]

Our initial research in neurofeedback using VR for cancer research demonstrates that VR engages the hippocampus region in ways conventional screens do not. Our head neurologist was actually conducting a study at MIT a few weeks ago on this very topic, extremely exciting stuff.

 

[BlackRainbowFT]

[removed]

 

[Ganzlinger]

I have no regrets!

 

[spookyfish]

Crap. I'm screwed.

 

[Skyzard]

In the rebuttal, talking about logical leaps:

" ... can be associated ..."

Is it a strong association or not, guardian.

 

[John Kowalski]

sometimes i play videogames, like those nintendo ones? i remember them perfectly this is not true

(MIT astrophysicist studying quantum qualia here)

 

[Cavalier]

First new thread for me - go easy!

You should avoid using sensational title. The research article hasn't made the connection that video gaming will increase Alzheimer's risk. Its effects are ASSOCIATED with neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's.

Our current 4/8VM data suggest that the high rate of response strategy use in actionVGPs compared with nonVGPs could also indicate a reduction in hippocampus integrity in actionVGPs. This possibility needs further research as reduced grey matter in the hippocampus has been associated with an increased risk for numerous neurological and psychiatric disorders across the lifespan such as schizophrenia [64], post-traumatic stress disorder [65], depression [66] and Alzheimer's disease [67,68], and cognitive deficits in normal ageing [69] and non-hippocampus-dependent response strategies are associated with addiction [43]. Since our current results did not directly measure hippocampal function, further research on the specific effects of action video games on this system is needed.

 

[Meltsi]

I was gonna write something clever but can't remember it anymore

 

[SomTervo]

Our initial research in neurofeedback using VR for cancer research demonstrates that VR engages the hippocampus region in ways conventional screens do not. Our head neurologist was actually conducting a study at MIT a few weeks ago on this very topic, extremely exciting stuff.

Look forward to the results!

You should avoid using sensational title. The research article hasn't made the connection that video gaming will increase Alzheimer's risk. Its effects are ASSOCIATED with neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's.

I carefully used the word 'may' rather than 'will' as a shorter signifier for 'associated with'.

My title does not say it will increase the risk, I made sure I tread carefully around that. But thanks for the feedback, duly noted.

 

[RM8]

I can quit everything except for fighters and platformers I guess I should play more puzzle games, I like those too.

 

[ZombieSupaStar]

Whatever I exercise an hour a day. I guess I should play more planescape torment than gta5 tho.

Wonder if bejeweled 3 helps I like that game.

 

[mocoworm]

I play at least 20hrs a week, and that's a light week.

What was the OP about ? I forget.

 

[Nosgotham]

extremely speculative. i get the steps they are taking but still very speculative.

 

[Krejlooc]

Whatever I exercise an hour a day. I guess I should play more planescape torment than gta5 tho.

Wonder if bejeweled 3 helps I like that game.

Bejeweled evokes the Tetris Effect, which has positive effects on spacial visualization and spacial perception. It affects a deeper level of consciousness and has shown to be help people store long term memories. Patients with anterograde amnesia who don't even remember playing said game still report dreams related to the effect.

 

[Marsyas]

I haven't read the paper... but what about sampling bias? people who play a certain type of games could be people more likely to have certain brain characteristics,.. and not the other way around!

(neuropsychologist here)

A sampling bias is possible.

It is possible that our current results could reflect a self-selection effect, where actionVGPs in our sample were predisposed to action video game playing owing to higher pre-existing levels of grey matter in striatum. In fact, Erickson et al. [57] found that grey matter in the striatum at baseline predicted the level of video game skill acquired by their participants. As a result, people with higher pre-existing striatal functioning might find video games to be more rewarding and continue playing during their lifetime. It is therefore plausible that people who use response strategies find action video games more pleasurable than spatial learners. While this may be true, time spent playing certain action video games is associated with entorhinal cortex atrophy [40] and this kind of effect during childhood could possibly alter medial temporal lobe development [70]. If this is the case, children exposed to action video games during development could adopt response learning strategies even if they were not response learners to begin with. In other words, engaging with action video games may promote the striatum during development and thus lead to increased use of response strategies. Further research investigating the direct impact of different genres of video games (e.g. first-person shooters; action-role playing games; three-dimensional platform games) on the striatum and hippocampus must be conducted to better understand how and when video games could encourage response learning.

 

[Simon Belmont]

Were they specifically looking for an Alzheimer's link, or was this a fishing expedition?

 

[Cavalier]

I carefully used the word 'may' rather than 'will' as a shorter signifier for 'associated with'.

My title does not say it will increase the risk, I made sure I tread carefully around that. But thanks for the feedback, duly noted.

You're missing the point. That's not what the research was designed to test. That statement was part of a short segment in the research article where they are stating that more research needs to be done. By putting up a sensational title such as this, you're falsely describing the research these people have conducted.

Spend the time to actually read the research article rather than lazily reading news articles if you're going to report on the findings.

 

[BlackRainbowFT]

A sampling bias is possible.

Thank you for the quote!

 

[Aesnath]

I wouldn't say they're assuming. Their statements are supported by research for the most part.


Connection 1:
There is a connection between action gamers having significantly larger striatum and caudate nucleus:
http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/282/1808/20142952#ref-12

Connection 1b:
An activity that increases hippocampus size, will decrease caudate nucleus and vice versa.
http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/lookup/external-ref?access_num=000222706700003&link_type=ISI
http://www.jneurosci.org/content/23...45df560fc6452d9a18c1f5e1&keytype2=tf_ipsecsha

Connection 2:
When undergoing 4/8VM test, there is a connection that for response learners (action gamers), it showed that there was increased activity and grey matter in caudate nucleus and decreased grey matter and activity in hippocampus -> indicating they rely more on their caudate nucleus than hippocampus in comparison to the healthy subjects (see the result above from my other post):
http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing..../13/5945&atom=/royprsb/282/1808/20142952.atom

Connection 3:
Reduced grey matter in hippocampus has been linked to increased risk for neurological disorders including Schizophrenia, Alzeimher's, etc...
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16682538?access_num=16682538&link_type=MED&dopt=Abstract
http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing....type=MED&atom=/royprsb/282/1808/20142952.atom

And as the researchers have said:




So this should be interesting.

I'm not saying that they don't cite research that suggests that such a connection is possible, but that is not what they were studying and there could be other ways of looking at the results (which they acknowledge).

 

[SomTervo]

You're missing the point. That's not what the research was designed to test. That statement was part of a short segment in the research article where they are stating that more research needs to be done. By putting up a sensational title such as this, you're falsely describing the research these people have conducted.

Spend the time to actually read the research article rather than lazily reading news articles if you're going to report on the findings.

I'm sorry my thread title is problematic. If a moderator sees this an would like to change the title to 'New study suggests videogames may be assoiated with neurological disorders', that would be appreciated. I'll note this in the OP later, too.

If you read through the thread fully you'd know that I had limited time to create the thread, about 15 minutes. Hence why I made sure to caveat the OP saying that I only read the news article. I consistently updated the post with other people's findings to ensure the story was accurately represented from all sides. I made the title as accurate as I could to the best of my knowledge in that limited timeframe. It had to be punchy too so that people would read on and discuss it, which is the entire point of this community.

Sorry again.

 

[YankeeDonB]

You're missing the point. That's not what the research was designed to test. That statement was part of a short segment in the research article where they are stating that more research needs to be done. By putting up a sensational title such as this, you're falsely describing the research these people have conducted.

Spend the time to actually read the research article rather than lazily reading news articles if you're going to report on the findings.

While you're not wrong, that is maybe just a bit harsh.

At the very least, his posting this sparked some discussion (and this is discussion board, not a peer reviewed journal). The thread title was just an echo of the dominant media slant on this study, which will be most people's contact w/ it.

And it's hard to blame the average non-scientist for getting caught up by media coverage of science vs. the hard science itself. Although, we'd likely benefit as a society if everyone made the effort.