Alternations voxel-wise interhemispheric and intrahemipheric functional connectivity dynamics in internet gaming...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Brain Imaging

Background:

• Internet gaming disorder (IGD) is associated with aberrant functional connectivity in the brain.
• Temporal variability of dynamic functional connectivity in IGD remains largely unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate temporal variability in intra- and interhemispheric dynamic functional connectivity in individuals with IGD.
• To explore the relationship between dynamic functional connectivity variability and clinical behaviors in IGD.

Main Methods:

• Resting-state fMRI data from 55 IGD patients and 50 healthy controls (HCs) were analyzed.
• Sliding window analysis and functional connectivity density (FCD) were used to assess temporal variability.
• Correlation analyses examined the link between dynamic FCD variance (dFCD) and IGD severity.

Main Results:

• IGD patients exhibited decreased intra- and interhemispheric dFCD variance in the visual attention network (precuneus, calcarine).
• Abnormalities in hemispheric-level dFCD variance were observed in the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) compared to HCs.
• Reduced dFCD variability in the calcarine and PCC negatively correlated with IGD severity.

Conclusions:

• Aberrant intra- and interhemispheric dynamic functional connectivity exists in the visual attention network of individuals with IGD.
• These findings highlight the neurobiological underpinnings of impaired concentration associated with IGD.