Altered resting-state network connectivity in internet gaming disorder.

Abstract

Background: The growing popularity of internet gaming among adolescents and young adults has driven an increase in both casual and excessive gaming behavior. Nevertheless, it remains unclear how progressive increases in internet gaming engagement led to changes within and between brain networks. This study aims to investigate these connectivity alterations across varying levels of gaming involvement.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 231 participants were recruited and classified into three groups according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) criteria for Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD): IGD group, highly engaged gaming(HEG) group, and lowly engaged gaming (LEG) group. Resting-state fMRI data from 217 participants (143 males, 74 females) were included in the final analysis. Independent component analysis was used to examine differences in intra- and inter-network functional connectivity (FC)across the three groups.

Results: No significant differences were found in intra-network FC across the three groups. However, significant inter-network differences between the dorsal attention network(dAN)and the visual network (VN) among the three groups were observed. The HEG group exhibited significantly higher dAN-VN functional network connectivity (FNC) compared to the LEG group. Linear correlation analyses showed no significant correlation between the dAN-VN FNC values and IGD-20T scores.

Conclusion: Throughout the development of IGD, increasing levels of engagement are associated with a rise and subsequent decline in FNC of DAN-VN. This pattern may reflect top-down attentional regulation in the early stages of addiction, followed by attentional bias as addiction progresses.