A Novel Cue-Induced Abdominal Reaction Analysis for Internet Gaming Disorder

Area of Science:

• Physiology
• Signal Processing
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Internet gaming disorder (IGD) is a growing concern with complex physiological underpinnings.
• Characteristic respiration patterns during prolonged gaming, especially in sedentary postures, remain poorly understood.
• Signal processing techniques offer potential for objective assessment of IGD-related physiological changes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of a specific respiration technique on abdominal movement in individuals with varying levels of IGD.
• To explore the utility of ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD) for analyzing respiratory signals in IGD.
• To determine if abdominal response differences can aid in discriminating between high-risk and low-risk IGD.

Main Methods:

• Recruited 50 participants categorized as high-risk IGD (HIGD) and low-risk IGD (LIGD).
• Instructed participants to perform a specific breathing exercise during exposure to game-film stimuli.
• Calculated instantaneous frequencies of abdominal movement (f_DF) using EEMD and analyzed the difference (Δf_DF) between rest and stimulus states before and after the exercise.

Main Results:

• HIGD participants exhibited reduced Δf_DF values after the breathing exercise, indicating a normalization of abdominal response to stimuli.
• LIGD participants showed an increased Δf_DF value after the exercise, particularly during negative stimuli, suggesting a heightened physiological reactivity.
• The study demonstrated distinct changes in abdominal movement frequency patterns related to IGD severity and breathing intervention.

Conclusions:

• Breathing exercises can modulate abdominal movement responses in individuals with IGD.
• EEMD analysis of abdominal movement shows promise as a novel method for IGD discrimination.
• This research provides a new physiological marker for understanding and potentially diagnosing IGD.