To Explore The Roles Of Cerebral Function And Microstructure Abnormalities In The Mechanism Of Online Game Addiction Based On The Technique Of FMRI

Objective To investigate cerebral function and microstructure abnormalities in onlinegame addiction by using brain magnetic resonance imaging technology (resting-statefunctional connectivity, voxel-based morphometry analysis and tract-based spatialstatistics) and to interpret the nervous mechanism involving in online game from pointof view of cerebral function and microstructure abnormalities.Method (1) Seventeen online game addicts were recruited as OGA group and17healthy controls were recruited as HC group. Utilization of the paradigms forpsychological experiment, we investigated the baseline characteristics of all34subjectsand compared the differences of psychology between the OGA group and the HC group.(2) All fMRI date was preprocessed after a resting-state fMRI scan, and then, the leftand right anterior cingulate cortexes were selected as regions of interest (ROIs) tocalculate the linear correlation between the anterior cingulate cortexes and the entirebrain to compare the differences between the online game addicts and normal controls.(3) MRI scans were performed to collect3D T1-weighted images which were processedwith FSL4.1software to confirm regional gray matter volume changes. For the regionswhere OGA subjects showed significantly different gray matter volume from thecontrols, the gray matter volumes of these areas were extracted, averaged and regressedagainst the scores of IAS.(4) Diffusion tensor images were collected for tract-based spatial statistics, which were also processed with FSL4.1software. Each participant’sfractional anisotropy values were extracted and correlation analysis was performed toinvestigate the relationship among the IAS and fractional anisotropy values.Results (1) The two groups did not differ significantly in age, sex ratio, or education.The mean amount of time spent on the internet per week of the OGA group was49.62hours which was significantly higher than the control group (p<0.001). Significantlyhigher IAS (p<0.001) and BIS-11(p<0.001) scores for the OGA group were observed.WAIS-RC, MMSE and HAMD scores for OGA were not differing significantly withHC.(2) Within the functional connectivity of anterior cingulate cortexes during theresting state, in contrast to the controls, the online game addicts showed increasedconnectivity with posterior cingulate, medium cingulate, midbrain, nucleus accumbensand supplementary motor area, but reduced connectivity with prefrontal cortex,temporal lobe and occipital lobe (p<0.05).(3) The OGA group had lower gray mattervolume in the left orbitofrontal cortex, left medial prefrontal cortex, bilateral insula, leftposterior cingulate cortex, and left supplementary motor area. Gray matter of volumesof the left orbitofrontal cortex and the bilateral insula showed a negative correlationwith the scores of IAS (P<0.05).(4) According to TBSS analysis, OGA subjects hadsignificantly reduced FA in the right genu of corpus callosum, bilateral frontal lobewhite matter, and right external capsule and FA values of the right external capsule weresignificantly positively correlated with the IAS scores in the OGA subjects (P<0.05).Conclusion Dysfunctions of anterior cingulate cortexes and microstructureabnormalities of gray and white matter were present in OGA subjects, which resulted inuncontrolled behavior and online gambling urges; Of above-mentioned may be a cause of generation, maintenance and relapse of heroin addiction.