Yuan Kai, Qin Wei, Yu Dahua, Bi Yanzhi, Xing Lihong, Jin Chenwang, Tian Jie
School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, 710071, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China.
Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging Ministry of Education, Xi'an, People's Republic of China.
Brain Struct Funct. 2016 Apr;221(3):1427-42. doi: 10.1007/s00429-014-0982-7. Epub 2015 Jan 9.
Regardless of whether it is conceptualized as a behavioral addiction or an impulse-control disorder, internet gaming disorder (IGD) has been speculated to be associated with impaired cognitive control. Efficient cognitive behavior involves the coordinated activity of large-scale brain networks, however, whether the interactions among these networks during resting state modulated cognitive control behavior in IGD adolescents remain unclear. Twenty-eight IGD adolescents and twenty-five age-, gender-, and education-matched healthy controls participated in our study. Stroop color-word task was conducted to evaluate the cognitive control deficits in IGD adolescents. Functional connectivity and Granger Causal Analysis were employed to investigate the functional and effective connections within and between the salience, central executive, and default mode networks. Meanwhile, diffusion tensor imaging was used to assess the structural integrity of abnormal network connections. The abnormal functional connectivity within central executive networks and effective connectivity within salience network in IGD adolescents were detected. Moreover, the inefficient interactions between these two brain networks were observed. In addition, we identified reduced fractional anisotropy in salience network, right central executive network tracts, and between-network (the anterior cingulate cortex-right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex tracts) pathways in IGD individuals. Notably, we observed a significant correlation between the effective and structural connection from salience network to central executive network and the number of errors during incongruent condition in Stroop task in both IGD and control subjects. Our results suggested that impaired cognitive control in IGD adolescents is likely to be mediated through the abnormal interactions and structural connection between intrinsic large-scale brain networks.
无论网络成瘾障碍（IGD）被概念化为行为成瘾还是冲动控制障碍，都有人推测它与认知控制受损有关。高效的认知行为涉及大规模脑网络的协同活动，然而，在静息状态下这些网络之间的相互作用是否调节了IGD青少年的认知控制行为仍不清楚。28名IGD青少年和25名年龄、性别和教育程度相匹配的健康对照者参与了我们的研究。采用Stroop色词任务来评估IGD青少年的认知控制缺陷。运用功能连接和格兰杰因果分析来研究突显网络、中央执行网络和默认模式网络内部及之间的功能和有效连接。同时，使用扩散张量成像来评估异常网络连接的结构完整性。检测到IGD青少年中央执行网络内的异常功能连接和突显网络内的有效连接。此外，还观察到这两个脑网络之间的低效相互作用。另外，我们发现IGD个体突显网络、右侧中央执行网络束以及网络间（前扣带回皮质-右侧背外侧前额叶皮质束）通路的分数各向异性降低。值得注意的是，我们观察到在IGD组和对照组中，从突显网络到中央执行网络的有效连接和结构连接与Stroop任务不一致条件下的错误数量之间存在显著相关性。我们的结果表明，IGD青少年的认知控制受损可能是通过内在大规模脑网络之间的异常相互作用和结构连接介导的。
