Human neuroimaging reveals that agency in a video game boosts functional connectivity within and between networks

In naturalistic settings, brains continuously interface with a dynamic and interactive external environment. The inclusion of such an environment in an fMRI study is difficult, given the practical constraints imposed by the machine itself. This study sought to test whether the ecological validity of fMRI could be enhanced by testing a new paradigm that incorporated a dynamic and interactive virtual environment (DIVE). To determine the viability of this paradigm, functional connectivity was assessed during a DIVE condition and compared to functional connectivity patterns acquired in conditions with equally dynamic stimuli but that lacked interactivity with the environment. This study found significant differences in functional connectivity between the DIVE condition and non-interactive conditions, suggesting that control within an environment may have a major impact on patterns of brain activation. Further, this may also suggest that DIVE paradigms could be viable candidates for increasing the ecological validity of fMRI experiments