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A General Method for Evaluating Incubation of Sucrose Craving in Rats
Published on: November 4, 2011
Gender-related differences in cue-elicited cravings in Internet gaming disorder: The effects of deprivation
Guangheng Dong1, Hui Zheng2, Xiaoyue Liu2
11 School of Psychology, Fujian Normal University , Fuzhou, P. R. China.
Background:
Online gaming has become a popular leisure activity, in which males more frequently develop Internet gaming disorder (IGD) compared to females. However, gender-related neurocognitive differences have largely not been systematically investigated in IGD.
Methods:
Cue-elicited-craving tasks were performed before game playing and immediately after deprivation operationalized as a forced break from gaming when the Internet was disconnected. Ninety-nine subjects with IGD (27 males and 22 females) or recreational game use (RGU; 27 males and 23 females) provided functional MRI and subjective data. Analyses investigating effects of group (IGD and RGU) × gender (male and female) at different times (pre-gaming, post-gaming, and post-pre) on cue-elicited craving and brain responses were performed. Correlations between brain responses and subjective measures were calculated.
Results:
In pre-, post-, and post-pre tests, significant gender-by-group interactions (p < .001, cluster size > 15 voxels) were observed in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Further analyses of the DLPFC cluster showed that in post-pre comparisons, results were related to less engagement of the DLPFC in IGD, especially in females. In addition, at post-test, significant interactions were observed in the caudate, as females with IGD showed greater activation as compared to those with RGU.
Discussion:
The results raise the possibility that women with RGU may show better executive control than men when facing gaming cues, which may provide resiliency against developing IGD; however, once they develop IGD, their gaming may impair their executive control and enhance their cravings for gaming, which may make it more difficult to quit gaming.
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