Background and aims

Internet gaming disorder (IGD) is rapidly becoming a worldwide health concern. The prefrontal-subcortical model of self-regulation emphasizes that an impaired prefrontal cognitive control system and an overwhelming subcortical reward-seeking system are both crucial factors in health problems, including addiction. This study focused on the cognitive control system of IGD, aiming to investigate whether cognitive control is altered and the underlying neural correlates in college students with IGD. Methods: Thirty college students with IGD and twenty-five matched healthy controls were asked to complete a stop-signal task that measures cognitive control while being monitored by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Results: Compared to the controls, only the college students with severe IGD, rather than those with mild IGD, had deficient brain activity involved in inhibitory control and response execution (specifically, the inferior frontal gyrus, anterior cingulate cortex and primary motor cortex); this result implies that cognitive control deficits are closely linked to addiction severity in individuals with IGD. Regarding performance monitoring function, college students with IGD exhibited unabated behavioral and brain activity, as did the control group. Conclusions: Combined with our previous finding that the subcortical reward system was enhanced in individuals with IGD, the present findings extend the prefrontal-subcortical model of self-regulation from the perspective of IGD in a college student population and thus provide useful insight for the effective prevention and treatment of IGD.

中文翻译：

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严重网络游戏障碍患者认知控制缺陷的神经基质

背景和目标

网络游戏障碍 (IGD) 正在迅速成为一个全球性的健康问题。自我调节的前额叶皮层下模型强调，受损的前额叶认知控制系统和压倒性的皮层下奖励寻求系统都是健康问题的关键因素，包括成瘾。本研究重点关注 IGD 的认知控制系统，旨在调查 IGD 大学生的认知控制是否改变以及潜在的神经相关性。方法：30 名患有 IGD 的大学生和 25 名匹配的健康对照被要求完成一项停止信号任务，该任务在功能磁共振成像 (fMRI) 监测的同时测量认知控制。结果：与对照组相比，只有重度 IGD 的大学生，而不是轻度 IGD 的大学生，参与抑制控制和反应执行的大脑活动不足（特别是额下回、前扣带皮层和初级运动皮层）；这一结果意味着认知控制缺陷与 IGD 患者的成瘾严重程度密切相关。关于表现监测功能，与对照组一样，患有 IGD 的大学生表现出不减弱的行为和大脑活动。结IGD的预防和治疗。