Effects of gaming content from social media on individuals with internet gaming disorder: an fMRI study

Internet gaming disorder is an increasing public health problem due to the widespread availability of online gaming. Social media platforms drive this trend by enabling gameplay sharing and increasing user engagement, potentially reinforcing addictive gaming behaviors. Understanding how gaming content exposure on social media affects brain activity in individuals with internet gaming disorder is crucial. This study aimed to investigate gaming content neural responses on social media in individuals with internet gaming disorder using functional magnetic resonance imaging. We aimed to determine differences in activation patterns that contribute to understanding the neurobiological underpinnings of internet gaming disorder by examining brain activity in these individuals and comparing it to healthy controls. Additionally, we investigated the association of brain activity with clinical characteristics (internet gaming disorder severity and illness duration). The participants with internet gaming disorder demonstrated increased bilateral orbitofrontal cortex, bilateral hippocampus, left precuneus, and right superior temporal gyrus activation in response to gaming-related cues on social media compared to healthy controls. Additionally, internet gaming disorder severity and illness duration correlated with left hippocampus activation levels. These results improve our understanding of how gaming-related content on social media affects individuals with internet gaming disorder. Our findings provide valuable information into the neurobiological features of internet gaming disorder and help develop effective treatment interventions.