Neurophysiological features of Internet gaming disorder and alcohol use disorder: a resting-state EEG study

Abstract

Despite that Internet gaming disorder (IGD) shares clinical, neuropsychological and personality characteristics with alcohol use disorder (AUD), little is known about the resting-state quantitative electroencephalography (QEEG) patterns associated with IGD and AUD. Therefore, this study compared the QEEG patterns in patients with IGD with those in patients with AUD to identify unique neurophysiological characteristics that can be used as biomarkers of IGD. A total of 76 subjects (34 with IGD, 17 with AUD and 25 healthy controls) participated in this study. Resting-state, eyes-closed QEEGs were recorded, and the absolute and relative power of brains were analyzed. The generalized estimating equation showed that the IGD group had lower absolute beta power than AUD (estimate=5.319, P<0.01) and the healthy control group (estimate=2.612, P=0.01). The AUD group showed higher absolute delta power than IGD (estimate=7.516, P<0.01) and the healthy control group (estimate=7.179, P<0.01). We found no significant correlations between the severity of IGD and QEEG activities in patients with IGD. The current findings suggest that lower absolute beta power can be used as a potential trait marker of IGD. Higher absolute power in the delta band may be a susceptibility marker for AUD. This study clarifies the unique characteristics of IGD as a behavioral addiction, which is distinct from AUD, by providing neurophysiological evidence.

Associations between prospective symptom changes and slow-wave activity in patients with Internet gaming disorder

“…Previous studies observed increases in absolute delta and relative theta powers in IGD patients with comorbid depression compared with those with pure IGD, whereas patients with pure IGD show decreased absolute delta or beta powers. [ 10 , 11 ] In addition, patients with depression exhibit increased slow-wave activities. [ 40 , 41 ] Taken together, these findings indicate that comorbid psychiatric issues, which are frequently observed in patients with IGD, influence the brain function of this population.…”

“…In contrast, AUD patients exhibit higher absolute delta power than do patients with IGD and healthy controls. [ 10 ] IGD patients also frequently exhibit comorbid depressive or anxiety symptoms; thus, it is plausible that the comorbidity of these conditions may influence resting-state brain activity. For example, Lee et al [ 11 ] found that IGD patients with depression show increased absolute power in the delta band, increased relative theta, and decreased relative alpha powers in all regions, especially fronto-central regions, which are known to be closely related to depression.…”

Dysfunctional information processing during an auditory event-related potential task in individuals with Internet gaming disorder

“…In this study, a modified IAT made for assessing Internet games was used. 32 To clarify the pathological changes associated with IGD, we included only those subjects with IAT scores of at least 70 (ref. 33 ) who spent more than 4 h daily and 30 h per week using Internet games, which restricted our sample to those with severe IGD, and excluded those who were merely at a high risk of developing this disorder due to excessive Internet gaming.…”

Exploratory Analysis of Behavioral Impulsivity, Pro-inflammatory Cytokines, and Resting-State Frontal EEG Activity Associated With Non-suicidal Self-Injury in Patients With Mood Disorder

“…The accepted epochs of the EEG data for both absolute (uV2) and relative (%) power were smoothed using fast Fourier transforms and averaged in four frequency bands by NeuroGuide's spectral analysis system. After performing FFT, the spectral density was averaged into specific frequency ranges as follows: delta (1-4 Hz), theta (4-8 Hz), alpha (8-12 Hz), beta (12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28)(29)(30), and low gamma (30-50 Hz) (19,20). The relative power of each channel was calculated by dividing each band power by the total power of the channel.…”