Brain morphology, harm avoidance, and the severity of excessive internet use

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Neuroimaging

Background:

• Previous research on excessive internet use (EIU) primarily focused on the reward system.
• The relationship between general brain morphology and EIU remained unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate brain regions beyond the reward system associated with EIU.
• To determine if specific brain morphological indexes can predict EIU severity.

Main Methods:

• Acquired data from 131 individuals with excessive internet use.
• Utilized 3T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to assess brain morphology.
• Employed Lasso and stepwise linear regression for predictor selection and model building.

Main Results:

• Brain morphological indexes, including left precentral (curve), left superior temporal (surface area), right cuneus (folding index), and right rostral anterior cingulate (folding index), significantly predicted EIU severity.
• These morphological changes were found to be more predictive of EIU than reward system activity or psychological measures.
• Whole-brain analysis indicated extensive changes associated with EIU.

Conclusions:

• Brain regions outside the reward system exhibit significant morphological changes related to excessive internet use.
• Specific brain morphology indexes serve as robust predictors for EIU severity.
• EIU is associated with widespread alterations in brain structure.