Children who played video games were shown to exhibit better cognitive function compared with those who didn’t, researchers reported in JAMA Network Open.

Bader Chaarani, PhD, of the department of psychiatry at the University of Vermont, and colleagues aimed to examine the association between video gaming and cognition in children through a case-control study.

Chaarani and colleagues observed cognitive performance and blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signals among children aged 9 to 10 years who played video games and compared them with those who didn’t.

Children with valid neuroimaging and behavioral data were included. All participants completed a self-reported screen time survey, which included time spent specifically on video gaming.

Video gaming time, cognitive performance and BOLD signals were assessed with an n-back analysis. Working memory through stop signal tasks were assessed through functional MRIs.

A total of 2,217 children were included in the study (mean age, 9.9 years; 63.1% female). Of those who were included in the final sample for stop signal tasks, 1,128 children did not play video games and 679 children played them at least 21 hours per week. The final sample of those who completed the n-back analysis included 1,278 children who did not play video games and 800 children who played them for at least 21 hours per week.

Those who played video games performed better in both sample groups. Nonparametric analyses of functional MRI data demonstrated greater BOLD signals among children who played video games in the precuneus during inhibitory control.

“During working memory, a smaller BOLD signal was observed in [children who played video games] in parts of the occipital cortex and calcarine sulcus and a larger BOLD signal in the cingulate, middle, and frontal gyri and the precuneus,” the authors wrote.

In a release from the NIH, National Institute on Drug Abuse Director Nora Volkow, MD, stated that this study adds to the growing understanding of the associations between video gaming and brain development.

“Numerous studies have linked video gaming to behavior and mental health problems,” she said. “This study suggests that there may also be cognitive benefits associated with this popular pastime, which are worthy of further investigation.”

In a related editorial, Kirk M. Welker, MD, of the division of neuroradiology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, said that making any recommendations based on functional MRI studies is “challenging.”

“By the nature of their design, most [functional] MRI studies on this topic fail to establish causality between video gaming and purported brain functional alterations,” Welker wrote. “Some studies may simply be uncovering inherent brain characteristics that lead certain individuals to gravitate toward video gaming. If, in fact, video games are altering neurocognition, the longevity of any cerebral changes induced by this activity remains largely unknown.”