Department of Psychiatry, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Department of Radiology, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Sci Rep. 2017 Apr 28;7(1):1245. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-01275-5.
Adaptive gaming use has positive effects, whereas depression has been reported to be prevalent in Internet gaming disorder (IGD). However, the neural correlates underlying the association between depression and Internet gaming remain unclear. Moreover, the neuroanatomical profile of the striatum in IGD is relatively less clear despite its important role in addiction. We found lower gray matter (GM) density in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) in the IGD group than in the Internet gaming control (IGC) group and non-gaming control (NGC) group, and the GM density was associated with lifetime usage of Internet gaming, depressed mood, craving, and impulsivity in the gaming users. Striatal volumetric analysis detected a significant reduction in the right nucleus accumbens (NAcc) in the IGD group and its association with lifetime usage of gaming and depression. These findings suggest that alterations in the brain structures involved in the reward system are associated with IGD-related behavioral characteristics. Furthermore, the DLPFC, involved in cognitive control, was observed to serve as a mediator in the association between prolonged gaming and depressed mood. This finding may provide insight into an intervention strategy for treating IGD with comorbid depression.
适应游戏的使用有积极的影响，而抑郁在网络成瘾障碍（IGD）中很常见。然而，抑郁和网络游戏之间关联的神经基础仍不清楚。此外，尽管纹状体在成瘾中起着重要作用，但它在 IGD 中的神经解剖学特征相对不太清楚。我们发现，IGD 组的左侧背外侧前额叶皮层（DLPFC）的灰质（GM）密度低于互联网游戏对照组（IGC）和非游戏对照组（NGC），GM 密度与互联网游戏的终生使用、抑郁情绪、渴望和冲动有关。纹状体体积分析检测到 IGD 组右侧伏隔核（NAcc）的显著减少，以及其与游戏使用和抑郁的终生使用相关。这些发现表明，与奖励系统相关的大脑结构的改变与与 IGD 相关的行为特征有关。此外，涉及认知控制的背外侧前额叶皮层被观察到在长时间游戏和抑郁情绪之间的关联中充当中介。这一发现可能为治疗伴有抑郁的 IGD 的干预策略提供了新的见解。
