Internet Game Overuse Is Associated With an Alteration of Fronto-Striatal Functional Connectivity During Reward...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Neuroimaging

Background:

• Internet gaming disorder (IGO) is linked to abnormal reward processing in the brain's reward circuit.
• Previous research indicates IGO affects behavior and neural activity for non-monetary rewards, but not monetary ones.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate functional connectivity differences in the reward network in young males with IGO during a learning task.
• To examine how monetary versus non-monetary feedback influences brain connectivity in individuals with IGO.

Main Methods:

• Functional MRI data were collected from 18 young males with IGO and 20 controls during a stimulus-response association learning task.
• Task-dependent functional connectivity was analyzed for the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) and ventral striatum (VS) using a generalized psychophysiological interaction approach.
• Monetary and non-monetary rewards were used as positive feedback for correct responses.

Main Results:

• No significant differences in functional connectivity were found for non-monetary reward processing.
• For monetary reward, the IGO group showed weaker vmPFC connectivity with the left caudate nucleus but elevated vmPFC connectivity with the right nucleus accumbens (NAcc).
• The IGO group exhibited weaker ventral striatum connectivity with regions involved in learning and attention, alongside stronger connectivity in motivational salience areas.

Conclusions:

• IGO is associated with altered functional connectivity in reward networks, particularly for monetary rewards.
• These connectivity differences may underlie impaired goal-directed behavior and contribute to addiction-like neural mechanisms.
• The findings suggest IGO involves increased incentive salience, akin to other addiction disorders.