Extended Interaction With a BCI Video Game Changes Resting-State Brain Activity

摘要

Video games are a widespread leisure activity and essential for a substantial field of research. In several kinds of research, video games show positive effects on cognition. Video games' ability to change the brain in a way that improves cognition is already evident in the research world. The underlying brain dynamics assessed by coherence (Coh) and partial-directed coherence (PDC) can shed light on the effect of video game playing. Here, resting-state brain dynamics have been analyzed before and after four weeks of video game playing. Fifteen participants took part in this article, which ran for one consecutive month. Participants played a gem-swapping game with a brain-computer interface (BCI) paradigm for five days per week for approximately 90 min for four continuous weeks. Significant (p<0.05) changes in information flow and connectivity measures for Coh and PDC were found in the fronto-central, fronto-parietal, and centro-parietal networks due to extended interaction with BCI. The results suggest that BCI is a potential facilitator of such resting-state network changes and may help to develop new strategies for improving cognition, but we also cannot deny the possible effects of such an effort on the disruption of a player's sense of engagement and increased mental fatigue