Microstructure abnormalities in adolescents with internet addiction disorder.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Neuroimaging
• Psychiatry

Background:

• Internet addiction disorder (IAD) is increasingly linked to brain gray matter abnormalities.
• Limited research exists on IAD's impact on major neuronal fiber pathway microstructural integrity.
• Few studies have explored the relationship between IAD duration and microstructural brain changes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate brain structural changes in adolescents with IAD.
• To assess white matter fractional anisotropy (FA) changes using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).
• To correlate brain structural measures with the duration of IAD.

Main Methods:

• Utilized optimized voxel-based morphometry (VBM) to examine brain morphology in 18 adolescents with IAD.
• Employed DTI to analyze white matter FA changes.
• Correlated VBM and DTI findings with the duration of IAD.

Main Results:

• VBM revealed decreased gray matter volume in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), supplementary motor area (SMA), orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), cerebellum, and rostral anterior cingulate cortex (rACC).
• DTI showed increased FA in the left posterior limb of the internal capsule (PLIC) and decreased FA in the right parahippocampal gyrus (PHG).
• Gray matter volumes (DLPFC, rACC, SMA) and white matter FA (PLIC) significantly correlated with IAD duration.

Conclusions:

• Long-term IAD is associated with significant brain structural alterations.
• These alterations may contribute to chronic dysfunction in individuals with IAD.
• Findings provide insights into the potential neurobiological effects of IAD.