Alternations Of Resting-state Function Of Frontal-striatal Circuits In Subjects With Internet Gaming Disorder

Objective 1.To explore the altered resting-state function of the frontal-striatal in subjects with Internet Gaming Disorder(IGD)by combining resting-state static functional connectivity(s FC)and dynamic functional connectivity(d FC)analysis.2.To explore the altered function of frontal-striatal circuits in effect of cognitive behavior therapy(CBT)for IGD subjects using the amplitude of low-frequency(ALFF)and s FC analysis.3.To explore the sex differences of frontal-striatal function in IGD subjects using the ALFF and s FC analysis.Materials and methods 1.Thirty subjects with IGD and thirty healthy controls(HCs)matched for age,gender and education status were recruited.Using the bilateral DLPFC as seeds,s FC and d FC maps were calculated and compared between groups.Correlations between alterations in s FC and d FC and clinical variables were also investigated within the IGD group.2.Twenty-six IGD subjects and 30 matched HCs received f MRI scan and clinical assessments;20 IGD subjects completed 12 sessions of CBT and then were scanned again.The ALFF values between the IGD group and the HC group were compared at baseline,as well as the ALFF values before and after the CBT in the IGD group.Within the regions that showed significant differences in the ALFF values before and after CBT,we tested the s FC changes.After investigating the relationship between the abnormal ALFF values of the IGD subjects and the severity of IGD,the correlations between the degree of the ALFF / s FC value changes and the reduction in symptoms before and after CBT in the IGD subjects were analyzed.3.Thirty male participants with IGD(IGDm),23 female participants with IGD(IGDf),30 males and 22 female age-matched healthy controls(HCs)underwent resting-state functional MRI.Maps of the ALFF and s FC were constructed.A two-factor ANCOVA model was specified using SPM8,with sex(Male,Female)and diagnosis(IGD,HC)as the between-subject factors.When interaction effects occurred,post-hoc pair-wise comparisons were performed using two-sample t-tests within the interaction masks.We used the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11(BIS-11)to assess the behavioural inhibition function of IGD.The correlations of the psychological scores with the ALFF and s FC values were assessed using partial correlation analyses,respectively.Results 1.The IGD group showed significantly lower s FC between the right DLPFC and the left rolandic operculum while higher s FC between the right DLPFC and the left pars triangularis when compared to HCs.The IGD group also had significantly decreased d FC between the right DLPFC and the left insula,right putamen and left precentral gyrus,and increased dynamic s FC in the left precuneus.Moreover,the d FC between the right DLPFC and the right insula was negatively correlated with the severity of IGD.2.Prior to treatment,the IGD group exhibited significantly increased ALFF values in the bilateral putamen,the right medial orbitofrontal cortex(OFC),the bilateral supplementary motor area(SMA),the left postcentral gyrus,and the left anterior cingulate(ACC)compared with the HC group.The ALFF value of the left putamen was positively correlated with the Chen Internet Addiction Scale(CIAS)scores of the IGD subjects.After the CBT,the weekly gaming time was significantly shorter,and the CIAS and BIS-11 scores were significantly lower.The ALFF values in the IGD subjects significantly decreased in the left superior OFC and the left putamen,and the s FC between them significantly increased after the CBT.The degree of the s FC changes(Δs FC/Pre-s FC)between the left superior OFC and the left putamen was positively correlated with the scale of the CIAS scores changes(ΔCIAS/Pre-CIAS)in the IGD subjects.3.The ALFF values in the orbit part of left superior frontal gyrus(SFG)significantly decreased specifically in IGDm,which were negatively correlated with BIS-11 scores.Furthermore,IGDm also demonstrated lower connectivity between the orbit part of the left SFG and PCC,right angular gyrus,and right DLPFC than HCm.Meanwhile,IGDm had lower orbit part of the left SFG seed connectivity with the PCC than IGDf.Conclusion 1.d FC can be used as a powerful supplement to s FC,we observed extensive abnormal frontalstriatal circuits in IGD subjects,which were associated with the deficits of cognitive control function of and being involved in Internet gaming regardless of the negative consequences of the IGD subjects.2.CBT could regulate the cognitive control function of OFC-striatal circuits in IGD subjects and could improve IGD-related symptoms.3.Sex-specific regional-and network-level alterations existed in IGD,and the altered restingstate function in the SFG have clinical relevance as a biomarker for the behavioural inhibition function of IGDm.