New research conducted by a team of leading neuroscientists shows that playing video games actually improves brain function and adds to brain mass. Here are more details about the study.
In 1992, neuroscientist Richard Haier, then working with the University of California, Irvine, conducted a study of how playing video games effects the brain. That study used Tetris, a video game based on geometric concepts. In the 1992 study, Haier found that during the first several hours of exposure to Tetris, the amount of glucose in the brain soars. The brain uses this glucose for energy, creating a sort of sugar high. However, Haier also found that after the first several hours of Tetris playing, glucose levels in the brain notably decrease. At this point, the brain is able to complete more complex problems while using less energy. In effect, the brain physically learns and adapts.
The company that sells Tetris, Blue Planet Software, learned about the 1992 study and hired Haier as a consultant. When Haier put together a team of leading neuroscientists, including Leonard Leyba, Sherif Karama, and Rex Jung, and wanted to continue the research, Blue Planet Software was happy to fund the project, though the software company remained hands-off.
The new study, published September 1, 2009 in BMC Research Notes, furthers Haier’s previous work. The researchers used Tetris as the video game component again and had adolescent females be study participants. 15 test subjects played Tetris for about 90 minutes each week for three months, while the 11 control subjects were asked to avoid playing video games entirely. MRI tests show that the cerebral cortex of the subjects who played Tetris grew thicker and gained neurons in cortex areas that handle sensory information and complex movement planning. Overall, the test subjects showed marked increase in critical thinking and language abilities.
So, it turns out that there is quite a lot of truth behind the intelligent geek stereotype. Now we just need somebody to prove that all video games have the same benefits as Tetris.
For more information about this you can read on at:
http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/geekend/?p=3228&tag=nl.e101
