Electroencephalography Study of Gaming Disorder and Its Association with Decision-Making Style and Impulsivity

The present study investigated the electroencephalography (EEG) characteristics of gaming disorder (GD) and examined whether these EEG indices are associated with decision-making style and impulsivity in GD.

We included 46 participants in the GD group and 92 sex- and age-matched participants in the control group. Between-group differences in the resting-state EEG indices and scores on scales measuring decision-making style and impulsivity were assessed. We further analyzed the correlations between these EEG indices and the scale scores for decision-making style and impulsivity.

The GD group was found not to favor the cognition-based decision-making style and presented with more dysfunctional impulsivity. In addition, the GD group had globally elevated delta and beta activity and elevated theta activity in the central area compared with the control group. Beta activity in the frontal and central area was negatively correlated with the deliberative decision-making style and positively correlated with dysfunctional impulsivity in the GD group.

EEG indices are potential neurophysiological biomarkers for GD. The associations of EEG indices with decision-making style and impulsivity are worth studying to clarify how they might relate to clinical interventions.