Brain morphology, harm avoidance, and the severity of excessive internet use

Abstract

As the previous studies have mainly focused on the reward system and the corresponding brain regions, the relationship between brain morphology and excessive internet use (EIU) were not clear; the purpose of the study was to investigate if the brain regions other than the reward system were associated with EIU. Data were acquired from 131 excessive internet users. Psychological measures included internet use, life quality, personality, mental illness symptoms, impulsivity, and thought suppression. The brain was scanned with 3T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and six types of brain morphological indexes were calculated. Lasso regression methods were used to select the predictors. Stepwise linear regression methods were used to build the models and verify the model. The variables remaining in the model were left precentral (curve), left superior temporal (surface area), right cuneus (folding index), right rostral anterior cingulate (folding index), and harm avoidance. The independent variable was the EIU score of the worst week in the past year. The study found that the brain morphological indexes other than the reward system, including the left precentral (curve), the left superior temporal (surface area), the right cuneus (folding index), and the right rostral anterior cingulate (folding index), can predict the severity of EIU, suggesting an extensive change in the brain. In this study, a whole-brain data analysis was conducted and it was concluded that the changes in certain brain regions were more predictive than the reward system and psychological measures or more important for EIU.Li Wan and Rujing Zha are co-first authors.

Dynamic changes of regional brain activity in adolescents with internet gaming disorder

“…The precuneus is considered the main brain region which is responsible for response inhibition and visual processing [26] . Abnormalities in the precuneus have been found in previous studies of both substance addiction and behavioral addiction [27,28] For example, the volume of gray matter in the anterior cuneiform lobe is signi cantly reduced in alcohol dependent relapsers, and can serve as a neural marker for predicting the recurrence tendency of alcohol dependent patients. It is believed that the decrease in functional connectivity between the anterior cuneiform lobe and brain regions may affect individuals' cognitive ability to cope with high-risk situations, leading to recurrence thus causing relapse [29] .…”

Internet gaming disorder and tobacco use disorder share neural connectivity patterns between the subcortical and the motor network

“…As the Internet has expanded in terms of availability and usage, increasing numbers of people are excessively using it, to the point where it adversely affects their daily lives (Young, 1996 ). IGD can lead to a variety of negative consequences such as emotional distress, academic failure, poor relationships, and even physical consequences (Wan et al, 2022 ; Zha et al, 2019 , 2022 ). A cross‐cultural study has reported that IGD prevalence was 26% in the US, 21.1% in China, and 15.4% in Singapore (Tang et al, 2017 ).…”