According to research published in ‘BMC Research Notes’ playing Tetris leads to a thicker brain cortex and improved brain efficiency. How did the team in New Mexico who conducted the study come to this conclusion?
In an attempt to find out if practice makes the brain more efficient, the researchers used brain imaging scans on two sets of girls. The first set of girls played Tetris 30 minutes a day for a three month period, the second set of girls did not. Both sets of girls were given both structural and functional MRI scans before and after the three-month practice period.
The scans revealed that the girls who played Tetris had improved brain efficiency in several areas including Brodmann Area (BA) 6, 8, 9, 22, 32, 38, 40 and 46. These areas of the brain control complex bodily movement, critical thinking, reasoning, language and processing. They also coordinate visual, tactile, auditory, and internal physiological information.
According to Dr. Rex Jung, ““We did our Tetris study to see if mental practice increased cortical thickness, a sign of more gray matter. If it did, it could be an explanation for why previous studies have shown that mental practice increases brain efficiency. More gray matter in an area could mean that the area would not need to work as hard during Tetris play.”
The researchers are looking to continue the study by looking at a larger and more diverse sample of participants. They are particularly keen to investigate whether these improvements in brain efficiency revert back when the subject stops practicing.
Comments