Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Brief Communication
  • Published:

Enhancing the contrast sensitivity function through action video game training

Nature Neuroscience volume 12, pages 549–551 (2009)Cite this article

Abstract

The contrast sensitivity function (CSF) is routinely assessed in clinical evaluation of vision and is the primary limiting factor in how well one sees. CSF improvements are typically brought about by correction of the optics of the eye with eyeglasses, contact lenses or surgery. We found that the very act of action video game playing also enhanced contrast sensitivity, providing a complementary route to eyesight improvement.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: Improved CSF as a result of action video game experience.
Figure 2: Improved critical duration as a result of action video game experience.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Campbell, F.W. Behav. Brain Res. 10, 87–97 (1983).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Sekuler, R. & Sekuler, A.B. Visual perception and cognition. in Oxford Textbook of Geriatric Medicine (eds. Evans, J.G., Williams, T.F., Beattie, B.L., Michel, J.-P. & Wilcock, G.K.) 874–880 (Oxford University Press, New York, 2000).

    Google Scholar 

  3. Weale, R.A. The Senescence of Human Vision (Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1992).

    Google Scholar 

  4. Fahle, M. & Poggio, T. Perceptual Learning (MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, 2002).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  5. Yu, C., Klein, S.A. & Levi, D.M. J. Vis. 4, 169–182 (2004).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Adini, Y., Sagi, D. & Tsodyks, M Nature 415, 790–793 (2002).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Maehara, G. & Goryo, K. Percept. Psychophys. 69, 1009–1021 (2007).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Sowden, P.T., Davies, I.R. & Roling, P. J. Exp. Psychol. Hum. Percept. Perform. 26, 379–390 (2000).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Sowden, P.T., Rose, D. & Davies, I.R. Vision Res. 42, 1249–1258 (2002).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Mayer, M.J. Vision Res. 23, 547–550 (1983).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Polat, U. & Sagi, D. Vision Res. 33, 993–999 (1993).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Fiser, J., Bex, P.J. & Makous, W. Vision Res. 43, 2637–2648 (2003).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Patching, G.R. & Jordan, T.R. Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 46, 2219–2224 (2005).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Gilbert, C.D., Sigman, M. & Crist, R.E. Neuron 31, 681–697 (2001).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Achtman, R.L., Green, C.S. & Bavelier, D. Restor. Neurol. Neurosci. 26, 435–446 (2008).

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank C.S. Green for his invaluable help and advice throughout this project, and A. Anderson, S. Bailey, A. Katz, M. Maciejewski, A. States, P. Santos and B. Hubert-Wallander for their help in running the training studies. This work was supported in part by grants from the US National Institutes of Health (EY016880), the James S. McDonnell Foundation and the Office of Naval Research to D.B. and the Israel Science Foundation to U.P.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Brain and Cognitive Sciences Department and Center for Visual Science, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, USA

    Renjie Li, Walter Makous & Daphne Bavelier

  2. Goldschleger Eye Research Institute, Tel Aviv University, Tel Hashomer, Israel

    Uri Polat

Authors
  1. Renjie Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Uri Polat
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Walter Makous
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Daphne Bavelier
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Daphne Bavelier.

Supplementary information

Supplementary Text and Figures

Supplementary Notes 1–6 (PDF 190 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Li, R., Polat, U., Makous, W. et al. Enhancing the contrast sensitivity function through action video game training. Nat Neurosci 12, 549–551 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/nn.2296

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nn.2296

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing