Brainwaves on battlegrounds: Preliminary insights into EEG, white matter microstructure, and StarCraft II performance

This study examines neural and cognitive correlates of visual search skills in the real-time strategy game StarCraft II. Specifically, we explore the relationship between fractional anisotropy (FA), event-related potentials (ERPs) and in-game performance. We used EEG recordings to measure the N2pc component, associated with visual attention, during a visual search (VS) task and collected structural neuroimaging data to assess white matter microstructure. Our analysis revealed that lower N2pc amplitudes during inefficient search correlated with better in-game VS-related performance, suggesting that more efficient neural processing supports success in complex gaming environments. Furthermore, we found that greater FA in the right anterior limb of the internal capsule (rALIC) and the left external capsule (lEC) is associated with superior in-game visual search performance, highlighting an interplay between brain structure and function in developing visual search skills and gaming proficiency. Our results suggest that action video games provide a suitable environment for studying neural mechanisms underlying complex cognitive processes.