Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2015 Feb:41:12-9.
doi: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2014.09.006. Epub 2014 Sep 9.

Differences in functional connectivity between alcohol dependence and internet gaming disorder

Ji Won Han  1 , Doug Hyun Han  2 , Nicolas Bolo  3 , BoAh Kim  4 , Boong Nyun Kim  4 , Perry F Renshaw  5
Affiliations

Differences in functional connectivity between alcohol dependence and internet gaming disorder

Ji Won Han et al. Addict Behav. 2015 Feb.

Abstract

Introduction: Internet gaming disorder (IGD) and alcohol dependence (AD) have been reported to share clinical characteristics including craving and over-engagement despite negative consequences. However, there are also clinical factors that differ between individuals with IGD and those with AD in terms of chemical intoxication, prevalence age, and visual and auditory stimulation.

Methods: We assessed brain functional connectivity within the prefrontal, striatum, and temporal lobe in 15 patients with IGD and in 16 patients with AD. Symptoms of depression, anxiety, and the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder were assessed in patients with IGD and in patients with AD.

Results: Both AD and IGD subjects have positive functional connectivity between the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), cingulate, and cerebellum. In addition, both groups have negative functional connectivity between the DLPFC and the orbitofrontal cortex. However, the AD subjects have positive functional connectivity between the DLPFC, temporal lobe and striatal areas while IGD subjects have negative functional connectivity between the DLPFC, temporal lobe and striatal areas.

Conclusions: AD and IGD subjects may share deficits in executive function, including problems with self-control and adaptive responding. However, the negative connectivity between the DLPFC and the striatal areas in IGD subjects, different from the connectivity observed in AD subjects, may be due to the earlier prevalence age, different comorbid diseases as well as visual and auditory stimulation.

Keywords: Alcohol dependence; Brain connectivity; Immaturity; Internet gaming disorder.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest: All authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Region of seed. After putting a cursor at Talairach code (0, 49, 31), a cube of 10 mm has moved on each side of X axis from 0 (center) to +5 (right side) and from 0 (center) to −5 (left side).
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Brain connectivity in subjects with alcohol dependence. Color bar, yellow (orange): positive functional connectivity between the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) seed and the anterior cingulate gyrus, right posterior cingulate gyrus, right superior frontal gyrus, right superior temporal gyrus, right nucleus accumbens, both occipital lingual gyri, right cerebellar tonsil, and left insular (p FDR < 0.01 = 0.000248), blue: negative functional connectivity between the DLPFC seed and the medial frontal gyrus (p FDR < 0.01 = 0.000248).
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Brain connectivity in subjects with internet gaming disorder. Color bar, yellow (orange): positive functional connectivity between the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) seed and the anterior cingulate gyrus, right frontal rectal gyrus, and cerebellum (p FDR < 0.01 = 0.000280), blue: negative functional connectivity between the DLPFC seed and the middle frontal gyrus, bilateral uncus, and both caudate heads (p FDR < 0.01 = 0.000280).
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Comparison of functional connectivity from DLPFC seed to other regions between AD and IGD. Color bar, yellow (orange): higher functional connectivity between the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) seed and the left brain stem, insular, amygdalar and right parahippocampal gyrus was apparentin alcohol dependence (AD) subjects, relative to internet gaming disorder (IGD) subjects (p FDR < 0.05 = 0.00299), blue: higher functional connectivity between the DLPFC seed and the left superior frontal gyrus and left middle frontal gyrus was apparent in IGD, relative to AD (p FDR < 0.05 = 0.00299).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Washington DC: American Psychiatry Association; 2013.
    1. Asplund CA, Aaronson JW, Aaronson HE. 3 regimens for alcohol withdrawal and detoxification. Journal of Family Practice. 2004;53:545–554. - PubMed
    1. Atmaca M. A case of problematic internet use successfully treated with an SSRI-antipsychotic combination. Progress in Neuropsychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry. 2007;31:961–962. - PubMed
    1. Baler RD, Volkow ND. Drug addiction: The neurobiology of disrupted self-control. Trends in Molecular Medicine. 2006;12:559–566. - PubMed
    1. Beard KW, Wolf EM. Modification in the proposed diagnostic criteria for Internet addiction. Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking. 2001;4:377–383. - PubMed

Publication types