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Comparative Study
. 2017 Jul 27;18(1):54.
doi: 10.1186/s12868-017-0375-y.

Difference in the functional connectivity of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex between smokers with nicotine dependence and individuals with internet gaming disorder

Xin Ge  1 , Yawen Sun  1 , Xu Han  1 , Yao Wang  1 , Weina Ding  1 , Mengqiu Cao  1 , Yasong Du  2 , Jianrong Xu  3 , Yan Zhou  4
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Difference in the functional connectivity of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex between smokers with nicotine dependence and individuals with internet gaming disorder

Xin Ge et al. BMC Neurosci. .

Abstract

Background: It has been reported that internet gaming disorder (IGD) and smokers with nicotine dependence (SND) share clinical characteristics, such as over-engagement despite negative consequences and cravings. This study is to investigate the alterations in the resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) observed in SND and IGD. In this study, 27 IGD, 29 SND, and 33 healthy controls (HC) underwent a resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) scan. DLPFC connectivity was determined in all participates by investigating the synchronized low-frequency fMRI signal fluctuations using a temporal seed-based correlation method.

Results: Compared with the HC group, the IGD and SND groups showed decreased rsFC with DLPFC in the right insula and left inferior frontal gyrus with DLPFC. Compared with SND group, the IGD subjects exhibited increased rsFC in the left inferior temporal gyrus and right inferior orbital frontal gyrus and decreased rsFC in the right middle occipital gyrus, supramarginal gyrus, and cuneus with DLPFC.

Conclusion: Our results confirmed that SND and IGD share similar neural mechanisms related to craving and impulsive inhibitions. The significant difference in rsFC with DLPFC between the IGD and SND subjects may be attributed to the visual and auditory stimulation generated by long-term internet gaming.

Keywords: Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex; Functional magnetic resonance imaging; Internet gaming disorder; Nicotine dependence; Resting-state functional connectivity.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Significant differences in functional connectivity of different brain regions with DLPFC changes among the three groups. Note: The left part of figure represents the participant’s right side, and right represents the participant’s left side. DLPFC dorsolateral prefrontal cortex
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Significant between-group differences in functional connectivity of different brain regions with DLPFC between the IDG with HC subjects. The t-score bars are shown on the left. Red indicates IGD > HC, and blue indicates IDG < HC. Note: The left part of figure represents the participant’s right side, and right represents the participant’s left side. DLPFC dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, IGD internet gaming disorder, HC healthy control
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Significant between-group differences in functional connectivity of different brain regions with DLPFC between SND and HC subjects. The t-score bar is shown on the left. Blue indicates SND group < HC. Note: The left part of figure represents the participant’s right side, and right represents the participant’s left side. DLPFC dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, SND smokers with nicotine dependence, HC healthy control
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Significant between-group differences in functional connectivity of different brain regions with DLPFC between IGD and SND groups. The t-score bars are shown on the left. Red indicates IGD > SND, and blue indicates IGD < SND. Note: The left part of figure represents the participant’s right side, and right represents the participant’s left side. DLPFC dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, IGD internet gaming disorder, SND smokers with nicotine dependence
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