Video games can enhance cognition in children, claims new study

New York: At a time when electronic devices and video games are being linked to a decline in mental health, a new study is claiming that playing video games can lead to better cognitive performance in children.

The findings suggest that playing video games for three hours per day helps children to perform better on cognitive skills tests involving impulse control and working memory. "This study adds to our growing understanding of the associations between playing video games and brain development," said researcher Nora Volkow, from National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). She added this new finding is worthy of further investigation because numerous studies have linked video games to behavioural and mental health problems.

The team analysed data from children aged 9-10. A survey and brain imaging data of nearly 2,000 participants were examined to draw conclusions. The investigators evaluated the children's performance on two tasks that reflected their ability to control impulsive behaviour and to memorise information, as well as the children's brain activity while performing the tasks.

Children who played video games were faster and more accurate in cognitive tasks compared with the other group. "The differences in cognitive function observed between the two groups were accompanied by differences in brain activity. Functional MRI brain imaging analyses found that children who played video games for three or more hours per day showed higher brain activity in regions of the brain associated with attention and memory," said the study in JAMA Network Open.

They also showed more brain activity in the frontal regions of the brain that are associated with more cognitively demanding tasks and less activity in regions related to vision.