Impulse control differentiates Internet gaming disorder from non-disordered but heavy Internet gaming use: Evidence from multiple behavioral and multimodal neuroimaging data

Dimensions of family stress and repetitive nonsuicidal self-injury in adolescence: Examining the interactive effects of impulsivity and emotion dysregulation

BACKGROUND

Repetitive non-suicidal self-injury (R-NSSI) in adolescence represents a significant risk factor for suicide. Although exposure to family stress is robustly associated with the risk of non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), studies have not examined the potential mechanisms linking different forms of family stress and R-NSSI.

OBJECTIVE

This study examined how unique dimensions of family stress (threat and deprivation) relate to R-NSSI via interactions between impulsivity and emotion dysregulation.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

The current sample included 3801 middle-school adolescents (42.2 % girls, Mage = 13.21 years).

METHODS

We conducted a two-wave study with 6-month intervals. Participants completed self-report measures assessing family stress, impulsivity, emotion dysregulation, and NSSI.

RESULTS

Moderate mediation analyses showed that threat was indirectly associated with NSSI frequency through the interaction of impulsivity and emotion dysregulation in the R-NSSI group and indirectly through impulsivity in the occasional NSSI (O-NSSI) group. Deprivation did not predict subsequent NSSI frequency in either group.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings lend empirical support to dimensional models of adversity and suggest that adolescents who experience threat-related family stress may have greater impulsivity and are more likely to report R-NSSI in the context of emotion dysregulation.

Sex differences of neural connectivity in internet gaming disorder and its association with sleep quality: an exploratory fMRI study

Objectives

Sex-specific differences in internet gaming disorder (IGD) neurophysiology remain underexplored. Here we investigated sex-related variability in regional homogeneity (ReHo) and functional connectivity (FC) in IGD and their correlations with sleep quality.

Methods

Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans were performed on 52 subjects with IGD and 50 healthy controls (HCs). Two-way ANOVA was used to examine sex and diagnosis interactions in ReHo and FC, followed by post-hoc analyses to explore FC biomarkers for different sexes.

Results

In ReHo analysis, the four groups showed significant sex and diagnosis interactions in the right middle frontal gyrus (rMFG). FC analysis with rMFG as the seed region revealed a significant sex and diagnosis interaction effect in FC of the rMFG with the bilateral postcentral gyrus (PoCG). In male IGD group, FC between the rMFG and the bilateral PoCG correlates strongly with daytime dysfunction score and the Pittsburgh sleep quality inventory (PSQI) total score.

Conclusion

These findings emphasize the importance of considering sexual dimorphism in the neurobiology of IGD, which might influence subsequent treatment strategies.

The mediating effect of dispositional mindfulness on the association between UPPS-P impulsivity traits and gaming disorder among Asia-Pacific young adults

BACKGROUND

Little evidence is available to verify the mediating effect of dispositional mindfulness on the association between gaming disorder and various impulsivity traits. The present study aimed to investigate the mediating effect of dispositional mindfulness on the association between the five UPPS-P impulsivity traits and the risk of gaming disorder among young adults.

METHODS

It was an inter-regional cross-sectional study using online survey in Australia, Japan, The Philippines and China. Impulsivity measured by the UPPS-P Impulsive Behavior Scale-Short version; dispositional mindfulness measured by the Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale; and the risk of gaming disorder measured by the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale were collected in the focal regions. Structural equation modeling was performed by SPSS AMOS version 26 to verify the study hypotheses. Bootstrapped 95% confidence interval was reported. Statistical significance was indicated by the p-value below 0.05.

RESULTS

Among the 1,134 returned questionnaires, about 40% of them aged 18-20 years and 21-23 years, respectively. 53.8% were male. 40.7% had been playing digital and video games for over 10 years. The prevalence of gaming disorder was 4.32%. The model fitness indices reflected that the constructed model had an acceptable model fit (χ2(118) = 558.994, p < 0.001; χ2/df = 4.737; CFI = 0.924; TLI = 0.890; GFI = 0.948; RMSEA = 0.058; SRMR = 0.0487). Dispositional mindfulness fully mediated the effect of positive urgency and negative urgency on the risk of gaming disorder. The effect of lack of premeditation on the risk of gaming disorder was partially mediated by dispositional mindfulness. However, dispositional mindfulness did not mediate the effect of sensation seeking on the risk of gaming disorder.

CONCLUSIONS

The varied associations between dispositional mindfulness and the five impulsivity traits hints that improving some impulsive traits may increase dispositional mindfulness and so lower the risk of gaming disorder. Despite further studies are needed to verify the present findings, it sheds light on the need to apply interventions on gamers based on their impulsivity profile. Interventions targeting at emotion regulation and self-control such as mindfulness-based interventions seem to be effective to help gamers with dominant features of urgency and lack of premeditation only. Other interventions shall be considered for gamers with high sensation seeking tendency to enhance the effectiveness of gaming disorder prevention.

Heart Rate Variability during Online Video Game Playing in Habitual Gamers: Effects of Internet Addiction Scale, Ranking Score and Gaming Performance

Previous studies have demonstrated that individuals with internet gaming disorder (IGD) display abnormal autonomic activities at rest and during gameplay. Here, we examined whether and how in-game autonomic activity is modulated by human characteristics and behavioral performance of the player. We measured heart rate variability (HRV) in 42 male university student habitual gamers (HGs) when they played a round of League of Legends game online. Short-term HRV indices measured in early, middle and late phases of the game were compared between the players at high risk of developing IGD and those at low risk, as assessed by the revised Chen Internet addiction scale (CIAS-R). Multiple linear regression (MLR) was used to identify significant predictors of HRV measured over the whole gameplay period (WG), among CIAS-R, ranking score, hours of weekly playing and selected in-game performance parameters. The high-risk players showed a significantly higher low-frequency power/high-frequency power ratio (LF/HF) relative to the low-risk players, regardless of game phase. MLR analysis revealed that LF/HF measured in WG was predicted by, and only by, CIAS-R. The HRV indicators of sympathetic activity were found to be predicted only by the number of slain in WG (NSlain), and the indicators of parasympathetic activity were predicted by both CIAS-R and NSlain. Collectively, the results demonstrated that risk of developing IGD is associated with dysregulated autonomic balance during gameplay, and in-game autonomic activities are modulated by complex interactions among personal attributes and in-game behavioral performance of the player, as well as situational factors embedded in game mechanics.

Understanding Perceived Problematic Pornography Use with the Differential Susceptibility to Media Effects Model

Problematic pornography use and its adverse consequences are prevalent, but little is known about its psychosocial contributors. Drawing on the Differential Susceptibility to Media Effects Model (DSMM), this study explores whether and how perceived problematic Internet pornography use is associated with psychological factors from three domains: social (i.e., family adaptability), dispositional (i.e., self-acceptance), and development factors (i.e., impulse control difficulties). Analysis of an anonymous survey of 1,483 Chinese emerging adults showed that family adaptability and self-acceptance were negatively correlated with perceived problematic pornography use, whereas impulse control difficulties were positively correlated with perceived problematic pornography use. Self-acceptance mediated the association between family adaptability and perceived problematic pornography use. Impulse control difficulties moderated such mediation effect, in which the protective effect of family adaptability on self-acceptance and that of self-acceptance on perceived problematic pornography use were attenuated by impulse control difficulties. These findings advance understanding of the complex underlying psychosocial mechanisms of perceived problematic pornography use by providing evidence to the applicability of DSMM on such problematic use and clarifying the direct, indirect, and/or moderating role(s) of family adaptability, self-acceptance, and impulse control difficulties in those mechanisms. They also provide insights for targeted approaches in future intervention programs among emerging adults.

Severity identification for internet gaming disorder using heart rate variability reactivity for gaming cues: a deep learning approach

Background

The diminished executive control along with cue-reactivity has been suggested to play an important role in addiction. Hear rate variability (HRV), which is related to the autonomic nervous system, is a useful biomarker that can reflect cognitive-emotional responses to stimuli. In this study, Internet gaming disorder (IGD) subjects' autonomic response to gaming-related cues was evaluated by measuring HRV changes in exposure to gaming situation. We investigated whether this HRV reactivity can significantly classify the categorical classification according to the severity of IGD.

Methods

The present study included 70 subjects and classified them into 4 classes (normal, mild, moderate and severe) according to their IGD severity. We measured HRV for 5 min after the start of their preferred Internet game to reflect the autonomic response upon exposure to gaming. The neural parameters of deep learning model were trained using time-frequency parameters of HRV. Using the Class Activation Mapping (CAM) algorithm, we analyzed whether the deep learning model could predict the severity classification of IGD and which areas of the time-frequency series were mainly involved.

Results

The trained deep learning model showed an accuracy of 95.10% and F-1 scores of 0.995 (normal), 0.994 (mild), 0.995 (moderate), and 0.999 (severe) for the four classes of IGD severity classification. As a result of checking the input of the deep learning model using the CAM algorithm, the high frequency (HF)-HRV was related to the severity classification of IGD. In the case of severe IGD, low frequency (LF)-HRV as well as HF-HRV were identified as regions of interest in the deep learning model.

Conclusion

In a deep learning model using the time-frequency HRV data, a significant predictor of IGD severity classification was parasympathetic tone reactivity when exposed to gaming situations. The reactivity of the sympathetic tone for the gaming situation could predict only the severe group of IGD. This study suggests that the autonomic response to the game-related cues can reflect the addiction status to the game.

Impulsivity-related right superior frontal gyrus as a biomarker of internet gaming disorder

Background

Internet gaming disorder (IGD) is a mental health issue that affects individuals worldwide. However, the lack of knowledge about the biomarkers associated with the development of IGD has restricted the diagnosis and treatment of this disorder.

Aims

We aimed to reveal the biomarkers associated with the development of IGD through resting-state brain network analysis and provide clues for the diagnosis and treatment of IGD.

Methods

Twenty-six patients with IGD, 23 excessive internet game users (EIUs) who recurrently played internet games but were not diagnosed with IGD and 29 healthy controls (HCs) performed delay discounting task (DDT) and Iowa gambling task (IGT). Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data were also collected.

Results

Patients with IGD exhibited significantly lower hubness in the right medial orbital part of the superior frontal gyrus (ORBsupmed) than both the EIU and the HC groups. Additionally, the hubness of the right ORBsupmed was found to be positively correlated with the highest excessive internet gaming degree during the past year in the EIU group but not the IGD group; this might be the protective mechanism that prevents EIUs from becoming addicted to internet games. Moreover, the hubness of the right ORBsupmed was found to be related to the treatment outcome of patients with IGD, with higher hubness of this region indicating better recovery when undergoing forced abstinence. Further modelling analysis of the DDT and IGT showed that patients with IGD displayed higher impulsivity during the decision-making process, and impulsivity-related parameters were negatively correlated with the hubness of right ORBsupmed.

Conclusions

Our findings revealed that the impulsivity-related right ORBsupmed hubness could serve as a potential biomarker of IGD and provide clues for the diagnosis and treatment of IGD.

Measurement of craving among gamers with internet gaming disorder using repeated presentations of game videos: a resting-state electroencephalography study

BACKGROUND

Internet gaming disorder (IGD) is receiving increasing attention owing to its effects on daily living and psychological function.

METHODS

In this study, electroencephalography was used to compare neural activity triggered by repeated presentation of a stimulus in healthy controls (HCs) and those with IGD. A total of 42 adult men were categorized into two groups (IGD, n = 21) based on Y-IAT-K scores. Participants were required to watch repeated presentations of video games while wearing a head-mounted display, and the delta (D), theta (T), alpha (A), beta (B), and gamma (G) activities in the prefrontal (PF), central (C), and parieto-occipital (PO) regions were analyzed.

RESULTS

The IGD group exhibited higher absolute powers of D_C, D_PO, T_C, T_PO, B_C, and B_PO than HCs. Among the IGD classification models, a neural network achieves the highest average accuracy of 93% (5-fold cross validation) and 84% (test).

CONCLUSIONS

These findings may significantly contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the neurological features associated with IGD and provide potential neurological markers that can be used to distinguish between individuals with IGD and HCs.

Aging-related changes in reward-based decision-making depend on punishment frequency: An fMRI study

Introduction

Aging is often accompanied by significant cognitive decline and altered decision making. Previous studies have found that older adults have difficulty in processing reward/risk information, leading to suboptimal decision strategy. However, it is still under investigated about the neural substrates of risky decision-making under ambiguity in aging.

Methods

Using the Iowa Gambling Task, the current study investigated inter-individual differences of risk-taking behaviors in healthy older adults with task-related functional magnetic resonance imaging.

Results

It was found that participants were able to improve their decisions in advantageous decks, but failed to avoid disadvantageous decks during task performance. The task-related activations within multiple brain regions were observed significantly different across the four decks, and showed negative correlations with age in disadvantageous decks but not in advantageous decks. Consistently, age-related whole brain analyses confirmed the negative age-effect on brain activations in disadvantageous decks, especially in high punishment frequency. In addition, the relationship between age and task performance in high punishment frequency was mediated by activation in the frontal subregions such as the middle frontal cortex and superior medial frontal cortex.

Discussion

Our findings shed light on the neural substrates of altered risk-taking behaviors in aging, suggesting a greater sensitivity to high punishment frequency in older adults.

The orbitofrontal cortex represents advantageous choice in the Iowa gambling task

A good‐based model, the central neurobiological model of economic decision‐making, proposes that the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) represents binary choice outcome, that is, the chosen good. A good is defined by a group of determinants characterizing the conditions in which the commodity is offered, including commodity type, cost, risk, time delay, and ambiguity. Previous studies have found that the OFC represents the binary choice outcome in decision‐making tasks involving commodity type, cost, risk, and delay. Real‐life decisions are often complex and involve uncertainty, rewards, and penalties; however, whether the OFC represents binary choice outcomes in a complex decision‐making situation, for example, Iowa gambling task (IGT), remains unclear. Here, we propose that the OFC represents binary choice outcome, that is, advantageous choice versus disadvantageous choice, in the IGT. We propose two hypotheses: first, the activity pattern in the human OFC represents an advantageous choice; and second, choice induces an OFC‐related functional network. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging and advanced machine‐learning tools, we found that the OFC represented an advantageous choice in the IGT. The OFC representation of advantageous choice was related to decision‐making performance. Choice modulated the functional connectivity between the OFC and the superior medial gyrus. In conclusion, the OFC represents an advantageous choice during the IGT. In the framework of a good‐based model, the results extend the role of the OFC to complex decision‐making situation when making a binary choice.