Abstract
Background and aimsIndividuals with addictive disorders are usually characterized by impaired executive control, persistent craving and excessive reward-seeking. However, it is unclear whether there is a deviation in the connection pattern among the neural systems implicated in these problem behaviors.MethodsOne hundred thirty-six online gaming players were recruited in the current study (68 Internet gaming disorder (IGD) subjects and 68 recreational game users (RGUs) who served as controls matched on age, sex, years of education, and years of gaming). Dynamic interactions among the reward system (striatum), control system (prefrontal cortex), and the interoceptive awareness system (insula) were calculated and compared when subjects were facing gaming cues.ResultsThe results revealed that RGUs showed a significant positive correlation in the putamen-middle frontal gyrus (MFG)-insula neural pathway when facing gaming cues, which was missing in the IGD subjects. Additionally, dynamic causal modeling (DCM) analysis revealed that the MFG region was more inhibited by the putamen in the IGD subjects relative to the RGUs.ConclusionsThese findings suggest that the inhibitory neuromodulation of the putamen to the prefrontal cortex in IGD individuals undermines the balance among the tripartite systems. Our findings provide novel neurobiological evidence for understanding the internal connection bias of the addicted individual’s neural system and how the addictive disorder impairs executive control; consequently, the pathway from the striatum to the prefrontal cortex may serve as a potential biomarker to predict the risk of developing an addiction.
Highlights
Several behaviors including problematic game, gamble, sex, and shopping, besides psychoactive substance ingestion, seek the short-term reward that may lead to persistent behavior despite adverse consequences, i.e., diminished executive control
The results revealed that recreational game users (RGUs) showed a significant positive correlation in the putamen-middle frontal gyrus (MFG)-insula neural pathway when facing gaming cues, which was missing in the IGD subjects
The results showed that the reward, executive control, and interoceptive awareness systems are highly coupled in RGUs when exposed to reward stimuli, while the association does not work in individuals with IGD, which reveals that
Summary
Several behaviors including problematic game, gamble, sex, and shopping, besides psychoactive substance ingestion, seek the short-term reward that may lead to persistent behavior despite adverse consequences, i.e., diminished executive control. Journal of Behavioral Addictions 9 (2020) 2, 312-324 substance addictions with a behavioral focus other than substance ingestion It shares many clinical characteristics and similar neural mechanisms with substance dependence, involving the disruption of the limbic circuitry (Koob & Le Moal, 2001) and prefrontal cortex network (Feil et al, 2010). Individuals with addictive disorders are usually characterized by impaired executive control, persistent craving and excessive reward-seeking It is unclear whether there is a deviation in the connection pattern among the neural systems implicated in these problem behaviors. Our findings provide novel neurobiological evidence for understanding the internal connection bias of the addicted individual’s neural system and how the addictive disorder impairs executive control; the pathway from the striatum to the prefrontal cortex may serve as a potential biomarker to predict the risk of developing an addiction
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