Brain scans get a gaming twist to capture real-world cognition
Neuroscientists at Western University are collaborating on an international project that has participants play video games inside fMRI machines. The Digital Brain Project, supported by Meta, seeks to build a large open dataset of brain activity across varied cognitive states. The approach aims to study how the brain predicts, acts, and adjusts when outcomes differ from expectations.
Western University researchers Jörn Diedrichsen and Jody Culham are co-leading an international effort, the Digital Brain Project, backed by Meta. It seeks a large, freely shared record of human brain activity gathered while participants engage in video games inside fMRI scanners, capturing more varied cognitive states than standard imaging.
Diedrichsen’s lab has built more than sixty scanner-compatible exercises to sample many mental states, while Culham examines how people interact with shifting surroundings. Earlier studies compared Pac-Man players with spectators and with individuals whose controller movements had no effect on the game, helping separate forecasts, responses, and outcomes.
The project could give neuroscientists, clinicians, and technology developers a broader shared resource for studying cognition, potentially improving models of learning, decision-making, and brain disorders. Participants and the public may benefit from faster discoveries, but large brain datasets also raise questions about privacy, consent, and commercial use. How such data are governed may influence trust in neurotechnology and shape who gains access to future tools.