Abnormal amplitude of low frequency fluctuation during the resting state in adolescents with online game addiction

Abstract

Objective To investigate the characteristic of regional amplitude of low frequency fluctuation (ALFF) in the brain of adolescents with online game addiction during the resting state. Methods The ALFF method was employed to explore the local features of spontaneous brain activity in adolescents with online game addiction (n=26) and healthy controls (n=23) during resting-state by Resting-State fMRI Data Analysis Toolkit. Results Compared with healthy controls, adolescents with online game addiction showed increased ALFF values in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), left middle cingulate cortex (MCC), bilateral caudate, right pallidum, bilateral parahippocampal gyrus, and right insula. It was noteworthy that the ALFF values of the right caudate (r=0.4437, P=0.0232) and right parahippocampal gyrus (r=0.5227, P=0.0062) were positively correlated with the duration of online game addiction. Conclusion The abnormal spontaneous neuronal activity properties during the resting state were revealed in the brain regions of adolescents with online game addiction. And the abnormalities may become more significant as the disease progresses. Key words: Online game addiction; Resting state; Amplitude of low frequency fluctuation