Internet addictive individuals share impulsivity and executive dysfunction with alcohol-dependent patients

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Internet addiction disorder (IAD) is a behavioral addiction with similarities to substance addictions.
• Patho-physiological and cognitive mechanisms of IAD require further investigation.
• Neuropsychological testing is crucial for understanding IAD's cognitive effects.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if individuals with IAD exhibit impulsivity and executive dysfunction, similar to alcohol-dependent (AD) individuals.
• To compare cognitive functions between IAD, AD, and normal control (NC) groups.

Main Methods:

• Participants: 22 IAD, 22 AD, 22 NC.
• Neuropsychological tests: Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11), go/no-go task, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Digit Span Task.
• Standardized experimental conditions for all groups.

Main Results:

• IAD and AD groups showed significantly higher impulsivity (BIS-11 scores, false alarm rate, total errors) than NC.
• IAD and AD groups demonstrated significantly lower executive function and working memory (hit rate, conceptual level responses, categories completed, digit span scores) than NC.
• No significant differences were found between IAD and AD groups on these measures.

Conclusions:

• Internet addiction disorder is characterized by impulsivity and executive dysfunction.
• Individuals with IAD share key cognitive deficits with alcohol-dependent patients.
• These findings highlight shared neurobiological underpinnings between behavioral and substance addictions.