Frontostriatal circuits, resting state functional connectivity and cognitive control in internet gaming disorder

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Neuroimaging

Background:

• Cognitive control deficits are common in internet gaming disorder (IGD).
• Frontostriatal circuits' resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) and structural connectivity influence cognitive control in healthy individuals.
• Limited understanding exists regarding frontostriatal pathways in IGD and their link to cognitive control.

Purpose of the Study:

• Investigate striatum volume and RSFC differences in young individuals with IGD compared to healthy controls.
• Assess cognitive control via Stroop task performance.
• Correlate neuroimaging findings with behavioral data to understand IGD's neurobiological underpinnings.

Main Methods:

• Compared striatum volume and RSFC networks in 43 young IGD individuals and 44 healthy controls.
• Assessed cognitive control using Stroop task performance.
• Correlated neuroimaging data (striatum volume, RSFC) with Stroop task results.

Main Results:

• Individuals with IGD showed increased right caudate and nucleus accumbens (NAc) volumes.
• Reduced RSFC strength was observed between the dorsal prefrontal cortex (DLPFC)-caudate and orbitofrontal cortex (OFC)-NAc in IGD.
• NAc volume correlated positively with internet addiction scores; caudate volume and DLPFC-caudate RSFC correlated with impaired cognitive control (more incongruent errors).
• Striatal volume and frontostriatal RSFC differences in IGD mirror findings in substance use disorders (SUD).

Conclusions:

• Cognitive control deficits in IGD are associated with reduced frontostriatal RSFC strength.
• Findings suggest neurobiological similarities between IGD and SUD.
• Results offer insights into IGD's neurobiological mechanisms and potential therapeutic targets.