Aberrant posterior superior temporal sulcus functional connectivity and executive dysfunction in adolescents with internet gaming disorder

Abstract

Background and aims: The clinical significance of Internet gaming disorder (IGD) is spreading worldwide, but its underlying neural mechanism still remains unclear. Moreover, the prevalence of IGD seems to be the highest in adolescents whose brains are in development. This study investigated the functional connectivity between large-scale intrinsic networks including default mode network, executive control network, and salience network. We hypothesized that adolescents with IGD would demonstrate different functional connectivity patterns among large-scale intrinsic networks, implying neurodevelopmental alterations, which might be associated with executive dysfunction.

Methods: This study included 17 male adolescents with Internet gaming disorder, and 18 age-matched male adolescents as healthy controls. Functional connectivity was examined using seed-to-voxel analysis and seed-to-seed analysis, with the nodes of large-scale intrinsic networks used as region of interests. Group independent component analysis was performed to investigate spatially independent network.

Results: We identified aberrant functional connectivity of salience network and default mode network with the left posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS) in adolescents with IGD. Furthermore, functional connectivity between salience network and pSTS correlated with proneness to Internet addiction and self-reported cognitive problems. Independent component analysis revealed that pSTS was involved in social brain network.

Discussion and conclusions: The results imply that aberrant functional connectivity of social brain network with default mode network and salience network was identified in IGD that may be associated with executive dysfunction. Our results suggest that inordinate social stimuli during excessive online gaming leads to altered connections among large-scale networks during neurodevelopment of adolescents.

Keywords: Internet gaming disorder; adolescence; executive dysfunction; posterior superior temporal sulcus; social brain network.

Fig. 1.

Seed-to-voxel analysis and its functional connectivity strengths. The statistical inferences were thresholded using an uncorrected P value<0.001. Coordinates indicate the locations of the brain slices according to the Montreal Neurological Institute system. (a) Between group differences in seed-to-voxel analysis results. Compared to HC group, right AIC of IGD showed significantly positive functional connectivity with left STS (−60 −54 6) (kmax = 357, T = 5.35). PCC of HC group showed significant positive functional connectivity with left STS (−58 −58 6) (kmax = 175, T = 5.00) than IGD group. (b) Between group comparison of functional connectivity strength. AIC-pSTS functional connectivity showed significant difference, presenting positive functional connectivity in IGD and negative functional connectivity in HC (t:4.219, P-value<0.001). PCC-pSTS functional connectivity between two groups was also significantly different while IGD showing negative functional connectivity, HC showing positive functional connectivity (t:−4.411, P-value<0.001). (c) Pearson correlation analysis for AIC-pSTS functional connectivity and PCC-pSTS functional connectivity. Two functional connectivity showed significant anticorrelation (r = −0.464, P = 0.005)

Fig. 2.

Between-network connectivity and functional connectivity correlation with clinical variables. (a) Seed-to-seed within-group analysis (blue line: positive functional connectivity; red line: negative functional connectivity). The statistical inferences were thresholded using an FDR-corrected P value<0.05. In IGD group, functional connectivity of pSTS to left DLPFC and right AIC was newly identified which were not observed in HC group, while alteration in pSTS-PCC functional connectivity (positive to negative) was also found in IGD. Functional connectivity of PCC with right DLPFC shown in HC was not significant in IGD. (b) Pearson correlation analysis for clinical correlation of functional connectivity. We identified positive correlation between AIC-pSTS functional connectivity and total score of Korean Internet Addiction Proneness Scale (r = 0.346, P = 0.042), and positive correlation between AIC-pSTS functional connectivity and cognitive problem subscale of Conners-Wells Adolescents Self-report Scale (r = 0.455, P-value = 0.006)