Department of Psychiatry, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Department of Psychiatry, Kaohsiung Municipal Hsiao-Kang Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Department of Radiology, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 2015 Mar 3;57:185-92. doi: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2014.11.003. Epub 2014 Nov 13.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the altered brain structure and functional connectivity (FC) among subjects with Internet gaming disorder (IGD).
We recruited 30 males with IGD and 30 controls and evaluated their gray matter density (GMD) and FC using resting fMRI. The severities of IGD, gaming urge, and impulsivity were also assessed.
The results demonstrated that the subjects with IGD had a higher impulsivity and a greater severity of IGD. The subjects with IGD had a lower GMD over the bilateral amygdala than the controls. Further, the subjects with IGD had lower FC with the left amygdala over the left dorsolateral prefrontal lobe (DLPFC) and with the right amygdala over the left DLPFC and orbital frontal lobe (OFL). They also had higher FC with the bilateral amygdala over the contralateral insula than the controls. The FC between the left amygdala and DLPFC was negatively correlated with impulsivity. The FC of the right amygdala to the left DLPFC and orbital frontal lobe was also negatively correlated with impulsivity. Our results indicated that the altered GMD over the amygdala might represent vulnerability to IGD, such as impulsivity. Further analysis of the amygdala demonstrated impaired FC to the frontal lobe, which represents impulsivity.
The results of this study suggested that the amygdala plays a very influential role in the mechanism of IGD. Its detailed role should be further evaluated in future study and should be considered in the treatment of IGD.
本研究旨在评估互联网游戏障碍（IGD）患者的脑结构和功能连接（FC）改变。
我们招募了 30 名男性 IGD 患者和 30 名对照者，并使用静息 fMRI 评估他们的灰质密度（GMD）和 FC。还评估了 IGD、游戏欲望和冲动的严重程度。
结果表明，IGD 患者的冲动性更高，IGD 严重程度更大。IGD 患者双侧杏仁核的 GMD 低于对照组。此外，IGD 患者左杏仁核与左侧背外侧前额叶（DLPFC）和右侧杏仁核与左侧 DLPFC 和眶额叶（OFL）的 FC 降低。他们还与对照组相比，双侧杏仁核与对侧岛叶的 FC 更高。左杏仁核与 DLPFC 的 FC 与冲动性呈负相关。右杏仁核与左侧 DLPFC 和眶额叶的 FC 也与冲动性呈负相关。我们的研究结果表明，杏仁核的 GMD 改变可能代表了对 IGD 的易感性，例如冲动性。对杏仁核的进一步分析表明，与额叶的 FC 受损，这代表了冲动性。
本研究结果表明，杏仁核在 IGD 的发病机制中起着非常重要的作用。其详细作用应在未来的研究中进一步评估，并应在 IGD 的治疗中考虑。
