Department of Nuclear Medicine, The Second Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 88 Jiefang Road, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310009, China.
Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging. 2014 Jul;41(7):1388-97. doi: 10.1007/s00259-014-2708-8. Epub 2014 Apr 16.
Internet gaming disorder is an increasing problem worldwide, resulting in critical academic, social, and occupational impairment. However, the neurobiological mechanism of internet gaming disorder remains unknown. The aim of this study is to assess brain dopamine D2 (D2)/Serotonin 2A (5-HT2A) receptor function and glucose metabolism in the same subjects by positron emission tomography (PET) imaging approach, and investigate whether the correlation exists between D2 receptor and glucose metabolism.
Twelve drug-naive adult males who met criteria for internet gaming disorder and 14 matched controls were studied with PET and (11)C-N-methylspiperone ((11)C-NMSP) to assess the availability of D2/5-HT2A receptors and with (18)F-fluoro-D-glucose ((18)F-FDG) to assess regional brain glucose metabolism, a marker of brain function. (11)C-NMSP and (18)F-FDG PET imaging data were acquired in the same individuals under both resting and internet gaming task states.
In internet gaming disorder subjects, a significant decrease in glucose metabolism was observed in the prefrontal, temporal, and limbic systems. Dysregulation of D2 receptors was observed in the striatum, and was correlated to years of overuse. A low level of D2 receptors in the striatum was significantly associated with decreased glucose metabolism in the orbitofrontal cortex.
For the first time, we report the evidence that D2 receptor level is significantly associated with glucose metabolism in the same individuals with internet gaming disorder, which indicates that D2/5-HT2A receptor-mediated dysregulation of the orbitofrontal cortex could underlie a mechanism for loss of control and compulsive behavior in internet gaming disorder subjects.
互联网游戏障碍是一个在全球范围内日益严重的问题，导致严重的学术、社会和职业障碍。然而，互联网游戏障碍的神经生物学机制尚不清楚。本研究的目的是通过正电子发射断层扫描（PET）成像方法评估同一受试者的大脑多巴胺 D2（D2）/血清素 2A（5-HT2A）受体功能和葡萄糖代谢，并研究 D2 受体和葡萄糖代谢之间是否存在相关性。
研究了 12 名符合互联网游戏障碍标准的未用药成年男性受试者和 14 名匹配的对照者，使用 PET 和（11）C-N-甲基螺哌隆（（11）C-NMSP）评估 D2/5-HT2A 受体的可用性，以及（18）F-氟代-D-葡萄糖（（18）F-FDG）评估区域脑葡萄糖代谢，这是大脑功能的标志物。（11）C-NMSP 和（18）F-FDG PET 成像数据在同一受试者的静息和互联网游戏任务状态下同时采集。
在互联网游戏障碍受试者中，前额叶、颞叶和边缘系统的葡萄糖代谢明显下降。纹状体的 D2 受体失调与过度使用的年限有关。纹状体中 D2 受体水平较低与眶额皮质葡萄糖代谢降低显著相关。
我们首次报道了证据表明，在患有互联网游戏障碍的同一人群中，D2 受体水平与葡萄糖代谢显著相关，这表明 D2/5-HT2A 受体介导的眶额皮质功能失调可能是互联网游戏障碍患者失去控制和强迫行为的一种机制。
