Internet Usage Habits and Experienced Levels of Psychopathology: A Pilot Study on Association with Spontaneous Eye Blinking Rate.

Dovile Simkute,Inga Griskova-Bulanova,Igor Nagula,Povilas Tarailis,Julius Burkauskas

doi:10.3390/jpm11040288

Dovile Simkute, Inga Griskova-Bulanova + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/jpm11040288

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Abstract

Increasing availability of the internet has resulted in the increased prevalence of problematic online behaviors. Reliable and affordable neurobiological and psychological biomarkers that distinguish problematic internet use (PIU) from functional online activities are of utmost importance. Previous studies have shown a relationship between spontaneous eye blinking rate (sEBR) and changes in dopamine regulation in neurological and psychiatric disorders, including substance use disorders. In this study, we utilized sEBR to examine the potential link between individual differences in dopaminergic neurotransmission and PIU. In sum, 62 subjects participated in this study (median age 25, IQR 6 years, 34 females). The Problematic Internet Use Questionnaire (PIUQ-9), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Clark–Beck Obsessive–Compulsive Inventory (CBOCI) and Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11) were used for psychological assessment. The sEBRs were assessed with an electrooculogram recorded from above and below the left eye and from the right and left outer canthi. The group with PIU (PIUQ-9 > 20) expressed higher levels of impulsivity and compulsive behavior symptoms than the control group. In the group with PIU, impulsivity levels were inversely related to sEBR, and a trend of negative association of sEBR with compulsive behavior was observed. Future research should enroll subjects with high levels of PIU and strongly expressed psychopathology levels to further address the utility of sEBR as a potential biomarker.

Highlights

Published: 9 April 2021The increasing availability of the internet has resulted in the increased prevalence of problematic internet use (PIU) observed in young adults [1]
Based on PIUQ-9 scores, 32 subjects who scored on PIUQ-9 > 20 were assigned to the PIU group
A control group consisted of 30 subjects who scored on PIUQ-9 ≤ 16

Summary

Introduction

The increasing availability of the internet has resulted in the increased prevalence of problematic internet use (PIU) observed in young adults [1]. Extensive internet use has previously been associated with higher prevalence of depressive, anxiety symptoms [2,3], higher impulsivity rates [4], and certain personality traits [5]. The most up-to-date strategy defines internet-related behaviors as a continuum, ranging from healthy to problematic or excessive use [9]. As the amount of time spent online by itself does not necessarily indicate problematic behavior [10], reliable and affordable neurobiological and psychological biomarkers that distinguish PIU from healthy/functional use are of utmost importance. Accumulating evidence points at similarities between substance use disorders and behavioral addictions; these are observed on both behavioral and neural levels. Subjects with addictions frequently display a dysregulation of dopaminergic transmission

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