The Reward Pathway
To understand the cognitive benefits of video games, we need to look at the active parts of the brain when someone is playing video games. The first area I want to talk about is the reward pathway. The reward pathway is responsible for the stereotyping of video games, and also addiction. When a person plays video games, he/she may feel euphoria because of the dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens. The reward pathway consist of the VTA, nucleus accumbens and the prefrontal cortex. When activated by a rewarding stimulus; in this case video games, the information travels from the VTA to the nucleus accumbens and up to the prefrontal cortex. In a recent study, researchers observed participants with MRI's (magnetic resonance imaging) and noticed that gamers showed activation in the brain's mesocorticolimbic center. This region is associated with the reward pathway and addiction. It is also stated in a article by Michelle L. Brand that the strength of the circuit between the three structures of the reward circuit correlates to how someone may perform in the video game. "Three structures within the reward circuit- the nucleus accumbens, amygdala and orbitofrontal cortex were active during the video game session. And the better connected this circuit was, the better the participant performed in the game."
Hippocampus and Striatum
The Hippocampus and Striatum are both important regions that are active when someone plays video games. Both of these regions is important and used in learning, memory and motivation. The Striatum is responsible for memory of motor skills, such as riding a unicycle or throwing a football, and is also involved in development of other skills such as multitasking. The Hippocampus is responsible for memory functions, such as remembering names or a recent memory. In a study published on January 20th, researchers used MRI's to identify the the Hippocampus and Striatum regions of the brain and measured it's activity as a result of playing a video game. Both regions were active when the game was played, but one was more active than the other depending on the situation. It was observed that the Striatum was active when participants were learning how to play the video games. The Hippocampus was active when participants were asked to play the game after a week. It was also mentioned in the study that the volume and structure of the Striatum helped researchers predict performance of the participants. "These findings suggest that individual structural differences in the Striatum are effective predictors of procedural learning and cognitive flexibility."
Cerebrum
The most important brain region when playing video games is the Cerebrum. The Cerebrum has many functions, which includes coordination of movement, touch, vision, hearing, judgment, problem solving, and learning. When playing video games, the Cerebrum is the most active part of the brain because the eyes need to constantly transfer information to the brain. Daphne Bavelier, a professor of brain and cognitive sciences conducted research on the effects of video games on the brain. She observed that gamers are better at filtering out irrelevant information because video games seem to induce plasticity in the visual cortex. In the article, she mentions, "Gamers beat non-gamers hands down when it comes to everyday eyesight - specifically, the ability to distinquish between different shades of grey, called contrast sensitivity." By constantly having to sort out different colors in action games and distinguish different objects in the game, gamers without realizing it are training their cerebrum and visual cortex.