1Centre for Cognition and Brain Disorders, The Affiliated Hospital of Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China.
2Institute of Psychological Science, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China.
J Behav Addict. 2023 Aug 30;12(3):758-774. doi: 10.1556/2006.2023.00039. Print 2023 Oct 5.
This study sought to investigate brain responses to positive and negative events in individuals with internet gaming disorder (IGD) during real gaming as a direct assessment of the neural features of IGD. This investigation reflects the neural deficits in individuals with IGD while playing games, providing direct and effective targets for prevention and treatment of IGD.
Thirty subjects with IGD and fifty-two matched recreational game use (RGU) subjects were scanned while playing an online game. Abnormal brain activities during positive and negative events were detected using a general linear model. Functional connectivity (FC) and correlation analyses between neural features and addiction severity were conducted to provide additional support for the underlying neural features.
Compared to the RGU subjects, the IGD subjects exhibited decreased activation in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) during positive events and decreased activation in the middle frontal gyrus (MFG), precentral gyrus and postcentral gyrus during negative events. Decreased FC between the DLPFC and putamen during positive events and between the MFG and amygdala during negative events were observed among the IGD subjects. Neural features and addiction severity were significantly correlated.
Individuals with IGD exhibited deficits in regulating game craving, maladaptive habitual gaming behaviors and negative emotions when experiencing positive and negative events during real game-playing compared to RGU gamers. These abnormalities in neural substrates during real gaming provide direct evidence for explaining why individuals with IGD uncontrollably and continuously engage in game playing, despite negative consequences.
本研究旨在通过对网络游戏障碍（IGD）患者在真实游戏中对正性和负性事件的大脑反应进行直接评估，探究其神经特征。本研究反映了患者在玩游戏时的神经缺陷，为 IGD 的预防和治疗提供了直接有效的靶点。
对 30 名 IGD 患者和 52 名匹配的娱乐性游戏使用（RGU）受试者进行扫描，在玩在线游戏时使用一般线性模型检测正性和负性事件期间的异常大脑活动。对神经特征与成瘾严重程度之间的功能连接（FC）和相关性进行分析，为潜在的神经特征提供额外支持。
与 RGU 受试者相比，IGD 受试者在正性事件期间背外侧前额叶皮层（DLPFC）的激活减少，在负性事件期间中额回（MFG）、中央前回和中央后回的激活减少。IGD 受试者在正性事件期间 DLPFC 和壳核之间的 FC 以及在负性事件期间 MFG 和杏仁核之间的 FC 减少。神经特征与成瘾严重程度显著相关。
与 RGU 游戏者相比，IGD 患者在真实游戏中体验正性和负性事件时，在调节游戏渴望、适应不良的习惯性游戏行为和负性情绪方面存在缺陷。这些在真实游戏中神经基质的异常为解释为什么 IGD 患者尽管存在负面后果仍无法控制和持续参与游戏提供了直接证据。
