Table 3.
Studies providing structural data dealing with healthy, non-expert participants.
| Ref. | Year | N | Age | Sample | VP experience | VG genre | Technique | Design | Neural correlates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erickson et al., 2010 | 2010 | 39 | (18–28) | Healthy young adults | <3 h/week | Action, shooter | MRI | Experimental (randomized) | Predictors of skill acquisition: ▴ DS ▴ VS |
| Basak et al., 2011 | 2011 | 20 | 70.1 ± 4.81 | Healthy older adults | Low VGP (<1 h/week) | Real time strategy | MRI | Quasi-experimental (one group pretest-posttest) | Predictors of skill acquisition: ▴ MFG (left) ▴ PoCG (left) ▴ dlPFC (left) ▴ ACC (right) ▴ Cerebellum |
| Vo et al., 2011 | 2011 | 34 | (18–28) | Healthy young adults | Low or Non-VGP | Action, shooter | MRI | Experimental (crossover) | Skill acquisition: ▴ DS |
| Colom et al., 2012 | 2012 | 20 | 18.95 ± 2.65 | Healthy young adults, female | Low or Non-VGP | Puzzle, Brain training | MRI (DTI) | Experimental (randomized with pretest) | After VG training: Gray matter: ▴ PFC (BA9 & BA10) ▴ Small temporal and parietal regions White matter: ▴ HC cingulum ▴ ILF |
| Kühn et al., 2013 | 2013 | 48 | 24.1 ± 3.8 | Healthy young adults | Low or Non-VGP | Action, 3D platforms | MRI | Experimental (randomized with pretest) | After VG training: ▴ HC (right) ▴ dlPFC (right) ▴ Cerebellum |
| McGarry et al., 2013 | 2013 | 7 | (60–85) | Healthy older adults | – | Real time strategy | MRI | Quasi-experimental (one group pretest-posttest) | After VG training: ▴ SPG ▴ Lateral IFG ▴ PrCG ▴ FG |
| Kühn and Gallinat, 2014* | 2014 | 62 | 28.4 ± 6.07 | Healthy young adults, male | Low or Non-VGP (n = 48) Excessive (n = 9) IGD (n = 5) |
– | MRI | Quasi-experimental (retrospective) | VG experience: ▴ Entorhinal cortex ▴ HC Game genre: ▴ Entorhinal cortex |
| Kühn et al., 2014* | 2014 | 152 | 14.4 ± 0.03 | Healthy adolescents | 12.6 ± 12.9 h/week | – | MRI | Quasi-experimental (retrospective) | VG experience: ▴ dlPFC (left) ▴ MFG(left) ▴ SFG (left) ▴ FEF (left) |
| Strenziok et al., 2013 | 2014 | – | (>60) | Healthy older adults | – | Real time strategy Puzzle, Brain training |
MRI (DTI) | Experimental (randomized) | After VG training: ▾ Splenium of CC |
| Strenziok et al., 2014 | 2014 | 42 | 69.21 ± 4.9 | Healthy older adults | – | Action, shooter Real time strategy Puzzle, Brain training |
MRI (DTI) | Experimental (randomized with pretest) | After VG training (white matter AD): All 3 groups: ▴ Lingual gyrus (left) ▴ Thalamus (right) Brain training vs. Action shooter: ▴ TO junction (right) Brain training vs. Strategy: ▴ POT junction (right) |
| Szabó et al., 2014** | 2014 | 56 | 36.8 ± 10.3 | Healthy adults | Low or Non-VGP | Action, 3D platforms | MRI | Experimental (randomized with pretest) | After VG training: ▴ HC (right) |
| Zhang et al., 2015 | 2015 | 45 | 16.9 ± 2.2 (VGP) 17.1 ± 1.3 (Non-VGP) |
Healthy adolescents, male | VGP (19 h/week) Low or Non-VGP (<2 h/week) |
Racing Role playing, MMORPG Dance Action, First Person Shooter |
MRI (DTI) | Quasi-experimental (retrospective) | VGP vs. Non-VGP (White matter FA): ▴ CST (left) ▴ SLF (left) ▴ ILF ▴ IFOF |
| Kim Y. H. et al., 2015* | 2015 | 31 | 29.0 ± 4.1 | Healthy young adults | VGP (>3 h/week) Non-VGP (<10 h/year) |
Real time strategy | MRI (DTI) | Quasi-experimental (with control group) | VGP vs. Non-VGP: White matter connectivity: ▴ EC (right) & Visual cortex ▴ IFG (right) & ACC |
| Takeuchi et al., 2016 | 2016 | 240 | 11.1 ± 2.7 | Healthy children | 0.8 ± 0.75 h/week | – | MRI (DTI) | Quasi-experimental (cross-sectional) | VG experience: ▴ PFC (bilateral) (GM & WM) ▴ ACC ▴ Lateral & Medial temporal cortex ▴ BG ▴ FG ▾ Genu of de CC (Specific areas) ▾ Body of the CC ▾ ACR (bilateral) ▾ SCR (right) |
| Takeuchi et al., 2016 | 2016 | 189 | (5.7–16.6) | Healthy children | – | – | MRI (DTI) | Quasi-experimental (longitudinal) | VG experience: ▴ Cluster 1: BG (Gm & WM) (left) Medial temporal lobe (left) Thalamus (bilateral) ▴ Cluster 2: Insula (right) Putamen (right) Thalamus (right) ▴ Cluster 3: MTG & ITC (left) FG Occipital lobe (left) |
ACC, Anterior cingulate cortex; ACR, Anterior corona radiata; AD, Axial diffusivity; BA, Brodmann area; BG, Basal ganglia; CC, Corpus callosum; CST, Corticospinal tract; dlPFC, Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex; DS, Dorsal striatum; DTI, Diffusion tensor imaging; EC, External capsule; FA, Fractional anisotropy; FEF, Frontal eye fields; FG, Fusiform gyrus; GM, Gray matter; HC, Hippocampus; IFG, Inferior frontal gyrus; IFOF, Inferior frontooccipital fasciculus; IGD, Internet Gaming Disorder; ILF, Inferior longitudinal fasciculus; ITC, Inferior temporal cortex; MFG, Middle frontal gyrus; MRI, Magnetic resonance imaging; MTG, Middle temporal gyrus; PFC, Prefrontal cortex; PoCG, Post central gyrus; POT, Parieto-occipito-temporal; PrCG, Pre-central gyrus; SCR, Superior corona radiata; SFG, Superior frontal gyrus; SLF, Superior longitudinal fasciculus; SPG, Superior parietal gyrus; TO, Temporo-occipital; VG, Video game; VGP, Video game player; VS, Ventral striatum; WM, White matter. Articles marked with an asterisk
discuss cognitive implications without directly assessing this dimension. Articles marked with a double asterisk
did not provide either empirical cognitive data nor discuss cognitive implications. The rest of the articles (non-marked) have measured cognitive correlates with specific tasks.