Features of bioelectric brain activity of young people with internet addiction

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Excessive use of the Internet for the purpose of entertainment or aimless pastime often leads to Internet addiction.AIM: Study of the features of the formation of bioelectrical activity of the brain in young people with Internet addiction using data from EEG spectral analysis in terms of full spectrum power and rhythm indices.METHODS: The study involved 61 volunteers - students of 1-2 courses of full-time education (young men, age 19.63 1.27 years) of the University of Tyumen (UTMN), residents of Tyumen and the Tyumen region. According to the Chen method (CIAS), the sample was divided into Internet addicts and a control group. Background EEG was recorded in 16 standard leads. A spectral analysis of the EEG was carried out in terms of the total power of the spectrum, the power of the spectrum in the alpha range (V2), and the rhythm index.RESULTS: In addicts, EEG type I prevailed (86% of cases) with an alpha rhythm structure organized in time and space, modulated into pronounced spindles, and also (14% of cases) type II encephalogram was presented, characterized by hypersynchronous alpha activity , weakly modulated or not at all modulated into spindles with high Rhythm Index values. In the control group of young people, there were three types of normal EEG organization. Organized type I was 69%, hypersynchronous type II - 8%, while desynchronous type III with a low representation of the -component and its replacement by and 1 rhythms was noted in 23% of the subjects of the control group.CONCLUSION: The patterns of bioelectrical activity of the brain of Internet addicted young people, obtained in our study, probably reflect a certain (developed) stage of the addictive process, in which there are no pronounced negative EEG manifestations of Internet addiction against the background of adaptive mechanisms formed in addicts to such a way of life.