Neurobiological Risk Factors for the Development of Internet Addiction in Adolescents

Abstract

The sudden appearance and spread of Internet addiction in adolescent populations, in association with the rapid escalation of consumed Internet content and the broad availability of smartphones and tablets with Internet access, is posing a new challenge for classical addictology which requires urgent solutions. Like the majority of other psychopathological conditions, pathological Internet addiction depends upon a group of multifactor polygenic conditions. For each specific case, there is a unique combination of inherited characteristics (nervous tissue structure, secretion, degradation, and reception of neuromediators), and many are extra-environment factors (family-related, social, and ethnic-cultural). One of the main challenges in the development of the bio-psychosocial model of Internet addiction is to determine which genes and neuromediators are responsible for increased addiction susceptibility. This information will herald the start of a search for new therapeutic targets and the development of early prevention strategies, including the assessment of genetic risk levels. This review summarizes the literature and currently available knowledge related to neurobiological risk factors regarding Internet addiction in adolescents. Genetic, neurochemical and neuroimaging data are presented with links to actual pathogenetic hypotheses according to the bio-psychosocial model of IA forming.

Exercise-Based Interventions for Internet Addiction: Neurobiological and Neuropsychological Evidence

“…The neurobiology of internet addiction has attracted much attention, but relatively little is known (Tereshchenko and Kasparov, 2019;Vaccaro and Potenza, 2019). This addiction appears to involve the simultaneous activation of the sympathetic and parasympathetic arms of the autonomic nervous system (ANS).…”

Prevalence and associated factors of internet addiction among undergraduate university students in Ethiopia: a community university-based cross-sectional study

“…The literature uses interchangeable references such as “compulsive Internet use”, “problematic Internet use”, “pathological Internet use”, and “Internet addiction”. The Psychologist Mark Griffiths, one of the widely recognized authorities in the sphere of addictive behavior, is the author of the most frequently quoted definition: “Internet addiction is a non-chemical behavioral addiction, which involves human–machine (computer-Internet) interaction” [ 4 , 5 ]. Internet addiction is a behavioural problem that has gained increasing scientific recognition in the last decade, with some researchers claiming it is a "21st Century epidemic"[ 6 ].…”

Internet Addiction and Related Clinical Problems: A Study on Italian Young Adults

“…Internet addiction (IA), also referred to as problematic, pathological, or compulsive Internet use, is a controversial concept in the research field. The frequent use of different terms to describe this new phenomenon, linked to the advent and growth of the Internet, leads to confusion over what it really consists of Tereshchenko and Kasparov (2019).…”

“…We currently know that IA is associated with symptoms of ADHD in teens ( Yoo et al, 2004 ), pathological gambling ( Phillips et al, 2012 ), depression ( Andreou and Svoli, 2013 ; Ho et al, 2014 ), anxiety ( Griffiths and Meredith, 2009 ; Zboralski et al, 2009 ), social phobia ( Carli et al, 2013 ; Gonzalez-Bueso et al, 2018 ), experiential avoidance ( Hayes et al, 1996 ; García-Oliva and Piqueras, 2016 ), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) ( Jang et al, 2008 ; Cecilia et al, 2013 ), eating disorders ( Shapira et al, 2003 ; Bernardi and Pallanti, 2009 ), and sleep disorders ( Nuutinen et al, 2014 ; Tamura et al, 2017 ), as well as with relational conflicts ( Gundogar et al, 2012 ), aggression ( Cecilia et al, 2013 ), self-destructive behaviors ( Sasmaz et al, 2014 ), suicidal behaviors ( Durkee et al, 2016 ), physical health problems ( Sung et al, 2013 ), and chronic pain syndrome ( Wei et al, 2012 ). However, little is known about the factors potentially implicated in the etiopathogenesis of IA ( Tereshchenko and Kasparov, 2019 ).…”