Meta-analyses of the functional neural alterations in subjects with Internet gaming disorder: Similarities and differences across different paradigms

Abstract

Meta-analyses of the functional neural alterations in subjects with Internet gaming disorder: similarities and differences across different paradigms

Common and separable neurofunctional dysregulations characterize obsessive-compulsive, substance use, and gaming disorders – evidence from an activation likelihood meta-analysis of functional imaging studies

“…In line with several previous cross-sectional meta-analytic and prospective studies reporting functional and structural alterations in IGD (34,52,55,56) the present meta-analysis found altered prefrontal activation in IGD, of which alterations in inferior frontal and medial frontal regions were shared with SUD. The integrity of these prefrontal cortex regions critically mediates executive and inhibitory control functions and the shared alterations may reflect marked deficits in these domains as previously reported in individuals with both disorders (69,70).…”

“…In contrast to both other diagnostic categories IGD was characterized by widespread neurofunctional alterations in the temporal cortex and to a lesser extend frontal regions. Temporal lobe regions have not been robustly identified in previous meta-analyses of either OCD or SUD (19,21,46,53,54,65,66), while some previous meta-analysis on IGD reported temporal as well as frontal alterations, specifically during higher-level cognitive processes such as executive control (34,55). The findings of IGD-specific alterations in temporal lobe regions are in line with initial studies comparing IGD and SUD samples reporting opposing intrinsic communication alterations between prefrontal regulatory control nodes and temporal regions in IGD and SUD (67) as well as a recent report suggesting opposite associations between impulsivity and temporal lobe thickness in IGD and SUD (67,68), thus further emphasizing the possible regulatory role of temporal lobe in impulse dyscontrol by its interaction with the prefrontal cortex.…”

“…A rapidly growing number of experimental studies suggest functional impairments in IGD, including behavioral characteristics of compulsivity (29)(30)(31), deficient executive and inhibitory control (32) and to a lesser extend alterations in reward processing (33). Previous meta-analyses covering case-control functional imaging studies in subjects with problematic internet use and IGD suggest robust neurofunctional alterations during cognitive and reward processing in frontal and insular regions, yet less robust evidence for functional alterations in striatal regions (34)(35)(36).…”

Convergent cross-sectional and longitudinal evidence for gaming-cue specific posterior parietal dysregulations in early stages of Internet Gaming Disorder

“…Both regions represent core hubs of the posterior DMN engaged in internally oriented attention and self-referential processing 40 and have been repeatedly reported in cue-reactivity studies in substance addiction 15,41 as well as in meta-analytic studies on cue-reactivity in IGD (e.g. [10]) and have been suggested to reflect a stronger engagement of selfreferential processes. 42 Moreover, as core region of the DMN the PCC/precuneus not only promote internally guided self-relevant processes but also the detection of selfrelevant information in the environment (e.g.…”

“…Two recent meta-analyses specifically focused on cue-reactivity in IGD and reported increased neural reactivity in lateral prefrontal, cingulate and dorsal striatal regions in response to gaming cues within IGD individuals 9 , and exaggerated cue-reactivity in lateral prefrontal and posterior parietal regions, including the PPC and precuneus, as well as decreased insular activation in IGD individuals relative to controls. 10 Notably, in contrast to convergent evidence for exaggerated ventral striatal reactivity in response to drug-associated cues across substance addicted populations 11,12 the ventral striatum was not found to be robustly engaged in IGD. The ventral striatum is strongly engaged in signaling reward expectancy, reinforcement behavior and salience with convergent translational evidence suggesting that this region critically contributes to the initial development of addiction via mediating reinforcing effects of the drug as well as associated incentive salience and learning processes whereas the dorsal striatum mediates habitual and compulsive use during later stages of the disorder.…”