Investigating the association of extensive video gaming and changes in cognitive function by focusing on brain-imaging studies of pro-gamers and individuals with gaming disorder: Systematic Literature Review (Preprint)

BACKGROUND The world health organization announced the inclusion of gaming disorder (GD) as one of disease despite some concerns. However, video gaming was associated with the enhancement of cognitive function. Moreover, despite the comparable extensive video gaming, pro-gamers did not show any negative symptoms that the individuals with GD reported. It is important to understand the association between extensive video gaming and alterations in brain regions more objectively. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to systematically explore the association between extensive video gaming and the changes in cognitive function by focusing on pro-gamers and individuals with GD. METHODS Literatures for pro-gamers and individuals with GD were searched in PubMed and Web of Science by using search terms (e.g., “pro-gamers” and “(Internet) gaming disorder”). While literatures for pro-gamers were searched without the date restriction, literatures for individuals with GD were included in search results when they were published since 2013. The selection of articles was conducted by following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. RESULTS By following the PRISMA guidelines, 1903 records with unique titles were identified. Through the screening process of titles and abstracts, 86 full-text articles were accessed to determine the eligibility. A total of 18 studies were included in this systematic review. Among included 18 studies, six studies included pro-gamers as participants, one study included both pro-gamers and individuals with GD, and eleven studies included individuals with GD. Pro-gamers showed structural and functional alterations in brain regions (e.g. the left cingulate cortex, insula subregions and the prefrontal regions). Cognitive function (e.g., attention and sensori-motor function) and the cognitive control improved in pro-gamers. Individuals with GD showed structural and functional alterations in brain regions (e.g., the striatum, the orbitofrontal cortex and amygdala) that were associated with impaired cognitive control and the higher level of the craving. They also showed increased cortical thickness in the middle temporal cortex which indicated the acquisition of better skills. Moreover, it was suggested that factors (e.g., the gaming expertise, the duration or the severity of GD and the level of self-control) seemed to modulate the association of the extensive VG playing with the changes in cognitive function. CONCLUSIONS Although limited studies that included pro-gamers and/or individuals who reported to show symptoms of GD for more than one year were identified, this review contributed to the objective understanding of the association between the extensive VG playing and the changes in cognitive function. Conducting studies in a longitudinal design or with various comparison groups in the future would be helpful to deepen the understanding of the association.

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Predictors of Mobile Video Gaming on Musculoskeletal Pain among University Students in Selangor, Malaysia

Revista Pesquisa em Fisioterapia ◽

10.17267/2238-2704rpf.v11i3.3916 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 518-527

Author(s):

Jireh Phuah Rong Yao ◽

Viswanath Sundar ◽

Vinodhkumar Ramalingam

Keyword(s):

Low Back Pain ◽

University Students ◽

Musculoskeletal Pain ◽

Internet Gaming Disorder ◽

Video Gaming ◽

Low Back ◽

Gaming Disorder ◽

Mobile Video ◽

Internet Gaming ◽

Lower Back

INTRODUCTION: Mobile video gaming among university students has increased rapidly, more than before the COVID-19 pandemic. This is very concerning as this could spark various problems, such as musculoskeletal pain and gaming disorders. OBJECTIVES: The present study is to identify the predictors of mobile video gaming on musculoskeletal pain among university students in Selangor, Malaysia. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: This study was conducted online using a self-reported online questionnaire via Google Form and sent to university students in Selangor, Malaysia. Participants' gaming addiction was measured using the Ten Item Internet Gaming Disorder Test (IGDT-10) questionnaire, and the prevalence of musculoskeletal pain was assessed by the Modified Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (MNMQ). The data was analyzed using SPSS version 25. A descriptive and binomial linear regression test was used to predict the variables. The statistical significance was set at p < 0.05, and odds ratios were calculated with confidence intervals of 95%. RESULTS: The prevalence of Internet Gaming Disorder among university students in Selangor, Malaysia is 1.8% (n=3). The neck region (74.2%) was the most commonly reported body region with musculoskeletal pain, followed by the shoulder region (60.7 %), lower back region (55.8 %), and upper back region (50.9 %). The body position was the only predictor of mobile video gaming with musculoskeletal pain (p = 0.002) in the lower back region. CONCLUSION: According to the findings of this study, the prevalence of Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) among university students was low and not addicted to gaming in the Covid-19 lockdown. We also found that participants who sat while playing mobile video games were more likely to develop low back pain. However, one of the limiting factors could be prolonged sitting in virtual classes during the lockdown, which causes low back pain.

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Disrupted prefrontal regulation of striatum-related craving in Internet gaming disorder revealed by dynamic causal modeling: results from a cue-reactivity task

Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s003329172000032x ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-13 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Guang-Heng Dong ◽

Min Wang ◽

Hui Zheng ◽

Ziliang Wang ◽

Xiaoxia Du ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Internet Gaming Disorder ◽

Cingulate Cortex ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Reward Processing ◽

Causal Modeling ◽

Anterior Cingulate ◽

Separate Analysis ◽

Gaming Disorder ◽

Lentiform Nucleus ◽

Internet Gaming

Abstract Background Studies of Internet gaming disorder (IGD) suggest an imbalanced relationship between cognitive control and reward processing in people with IGD. However, it remains unclear how these two systems interact with each other, and whether they could serve as neurobiological markers for IGD. Methods Fifty IGD subjects and matched individuals with recreational game use (RGU) were selected and compared when they were performing a cue-craving task. Regions of interests [anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), lentiform nucleus] were selected based on the comparison between brain responses to gaming-related cues and neutral cues. Directional connectivities among these brain regions were determined using Bayesian estimation. We additionally examined the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) in a separate analysis based on data implicating the PCC in craving in addiction. Results During fixed-connectivity analyses, IGD subjects showed blunted ACC-to-lentiform and lentiform-to-ACC connectivity relative to RGU subjects, especially in the left hemisphere. When facing gaming cues, IGD subjects trended toward lower left-hemispheric modulatory effects in ACC-to-lentiform connectivity than RGU subjects. Self-reported cue-related craving prior to scanning correlated inversely with left-hemispheric modulatory effects in ACC-to-lentiform connectivity. Conclusions The results suggesting that prefrontal-to-lentiform connectivity is impaired in IGD provides a possible neurobiological mechanism for difficulties in controlling gaming-cue-elicited cravings. Reduced connectivity ACC-lentiform connectivity may be a useful neurobiological marker for IGD.

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Neurobiological mechanisms underlying internet and gaming disorder (IGD)

Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience ◽

10.31887/dcns.2020.22.2/aweinstein ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 22 (2) ◽

pp. 113-126

Keyword(s):

Computer Games ◽

Structural Changes ◽

Gray Matter Volume ◽

Internet Gaming Disorder ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Sensory Function ◽

Gaming Disorder ◽

Control Networks ◽

Internet Gaming ◽

The Impact

This review summarizes studies on the neurobiological correlates of internet gaming disorder (IGD), presently the most direct approach to analyzing the impact of digital technology and the internet on brain mechanisms. Brain imaging studies have shown that IGD shares, to a large extent, neurobiological alterations that are typical for other addictions, such as: (i) activation in brain regions associated with reward, as evident from cue exposure and craving studies and neurotransmitter systems studies that indicate an involvement of dopamine-mediated reward mechanisms; (ii) reduced activity in impulse control areas and impaired decision making; and (iii) reduced functional connectivity in brain networks that are involved in cognitive control, executive function, motivation, and reward. Moreover, there are structural changes, mainly reduction in gray-matter volume and white-matter density. Comorbidity studies indicate that executive control networks in attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may increase the susceptibility to develop IGD. Most importantly, this review also outlines findings that show the effects of excessive use of screens, here referring to the playing of computer games, which activate many brain regions associated with cognitive, motor, and sensory function and not directly involved in other forms of addiction. This review describes and summarizes comprehensively the neurobiological correlates of addictive internet use in adolescents and young adults.

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Video game industry versus Internet Gaming Disorder: ‘The match of the century’

Aloma: Revista de Psicologia, Ciències de l'Educació i de l'Esport ◽

10.51698/aloma.2020.38.1.39-48 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 38 (1) ◽

pp. 39-48

Author(s):

Xavier Cabonell-Sánchez

Keyword(s):

Video Game ◽

Self Regulation ◽

Internet Gaming Disorder ◽

World Health ◽

Video Gaming ◽

Gaming Industry ◽

Internet Gaming ◽

History Of ◽

Game Industry ◽

Health Organization

This article consists of a reflection on the clash between the interests of the video gaming industry and the health of consumers as defined by the World Health Organization and the American Psychiatric Association. The article discusses the history of the self-regulation of the tobacco, alcohol and gambling industries, then goes on to discuss the extent to which video games may gain establishment acceptance as sports, much as bridge and chess did before them. The article concludes that the category of sport can serve as a mediating force between the industry and the health of gamers.

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The role of video gaming motives in the relationship between personality risk traits and Internet Gaming Disorder

Journal of Gambling Issues ◽

10.4309/jgi.2021.46.12 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 46 ◽

Author(s):

Roberta Biolcati ◽

Stefano Passini ◽

Virginia Pupi

Keyword(s):

Social Networking Sites ◽

Sensation Seeking ◽

Internet Gaming Disorder ◽

Video Gaming ◽

Gaming Disorder ◽

Personality Dimension ◽

Internet Gaming ◽

Recherche De Sensations ◽

The Relationship

The main aim of this study is to improve our knowledge on Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD), contributing to a common discourse concerning its risk profiles. Specifically, the study aims to assess the prevalence of addicted gamers among Italian online and offline gamers, accounting for gender and to investigate the mediation role of gaming motives on the relationship between personality risk traits and IGD. A total of 627 videogame players (55% women; mean age 27 years) recruited from social networking sites took part in the study and filled a questionnaire including gaming characteristics, the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale (IGDS9-SF), the Substance Use Risk Profile Scale (SURPS) and the Motives for Online Gaming Questionnaire (MOGQ). The prevalence rate of Internet gaming disorder was 5.3%. Hopelessness was the personality dimension that most differentiates gaming addicts from non-addicts. Results of the mediation model suggested that Hopelessness was both directly and indirectly (via escape, fantasy and recreational motives) associated with IGD. The motivations Escape and Fantasy also mediate between Anxiety sensitivity and IGD while Competition mediate between Sensation seeking trait and IGD. The evidence suggests that IGD is motivated by psychological mechanisms similar to those compelling substance abuse, but with its own unique features.RésuméCette étude a pour but d’améliorer notre connaissance de la dépendance au jeu sur Internet (DJI) afin d’enrichir le discours sur ses profils de risque. Elle vise plus précisément à évaluer la prévalence des joueurs dépendants parmi les joueurs italiens en ligne et hors ligne, en tenant compte du genre et en examinant le rôle de médiation des raisons qui motivent la pratique des jeux dans la relation entre les traits de personnalité présentant des risques et la DJI. En tout, 627 joueurs de jeux vidéo (55 % de femmes d’une moyenne d’âge de 27 ans) recrutés sur des sites de réseaux sociaux ont participé à l’étude et rempli un questionnaire comprenant des caractéristiques liées au jeu, l’échelle de la dépendance au jeu sur Internet (IGDS9-SF), l’échelle de profil de risque de consommation de substances psychoactives (SURPS) et le questionnaire sur les raisons de jouer en ligne (MOGQ). Le taux de prévalence de la dépendance au jeu sur Internet s’établissait à 5,3 %. Le désespoir constituait l’aspect de la personnalité qui distinguait le plus les personnes dépendantes au jeu des personnes non dépendantes. Les résultats du modèle de médiation donnaient à penser que le désespoir était associé directement et indirectement (raisons liées à la fuite, à l’imaginaire et aux loisirs) à la DJI. Les raisons Fuite et Imaginaire assurent la médiation entre la sensibilité à l’anxiété et la DJI, tandis que la concurrence assure la médiation entre la recherche de sensations et la DJI. Tout indique que la DJI est motivée par des mécanismes psychologiques similaires à ceux qui incitent à la toxicomanie, mais possède ses propres caractéristiques.

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Human Cognition to Analyse Alcohol Use Disorder and Correlation with Internet Gaming Disorder

10.36227/techrxiv.12786776 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Hari Pandey

Keyword(s):

Alcohol Use ◽

Alcohol Use Disorder ◽

Internet Gaming Disorder ◽

Research Field ◽

World Health ◽

Human Cognition ◽

Impulsive Behavior ◽

Gaming Disorder ◽

Mean Power ◽

Internet Gaming

<p>Playing games always been interest in child and adolescent. Technology specially internet given new dimension to gaming and over the decade gaming over internet attracted major percentage of player. Excessive gaming when not controlled also lead to the behavioral dysfunction along with physiological issues. World Health Organization (WHO) has added Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) as potential mental disorder recently in Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM-5) as research field to include in main manual. Research in this field gained interest, but about diagnostic criteria debate is still on in research group. For diagnosis of IGD, not only subjective symptoms but its underlying neurobiology needs to be included. Major behavioral addiction shares its symptoms with different addiction, which can be seen into IGD and Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) also. In this paper, we aim to identify potential biomarkers to explore relationships between AUD and IGD symptoms using EEG signals recordings. Noise and other artifacts are removed during pre-processing and bands splitted in intermediate steps of proposed method. Spectral features are potential indicator in EEG data, for all five EEG bands power spectral density is computed and visible difference found in mean power on most of the channels for all bands. Across theta and beta bands, mean absolute power is greatly reduced in the frontal and prefrontal brain region. The results indicate symptoms are matching with impulsive behavior. Based on statistical analysis across we found similarities in EEG features in terms of emotional imbalance, high arousal, slow response inhibition and our study indicate Alcohol Use Disorder and IGD are correlated.<i></i></p>

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Orbitofrontal gray matter deficits as marker of Internet gaming disorder: converging evidence from a cross-sectional and prospective longitudinal design

Addiction Biology ◽

10.1111/adb.12570 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 24 (1) ◽

pp. 100-109 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Feng Zhou ◽

Christian Montag ◽

Rayna Sariyska ◽

Bernd Lachmann ◽

Martin Reuter ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gray Matter ◽

Longitudinal Design ◽

Internet Gaming Disorder ◽

Gaming Disorder ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Internet Gaming ◽

Prospective Longitudinal

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EEG response to game-craving according to personal preference for games

Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience ◽

10.1093/scan/nsaa131 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Jihyeon Ha ◽

Wanjoo Park ◽

Sang In Park ◽

Chang-Hwan Im ◽

Laehyun Kim

Keyword(s):

Internet Gaming Disorder ◽

International Classification Of Diseases ◽

Analysis Of Covariance ◽

World Health ◽

Gaming Disorder ◽

Internet Gaming ◽

Classification Of Diseases ◽

Healthy Control ◽

Health Organization

Abstract Recently, the World Health Organization included ‘gaming disorder’ in its latest revision of the international classification of diseases (ICD-11). Despite extensive research on internet gaming disorder (IGD), few studies have addressed game-related stimuli eliciting craving, which plays an important role in addiction. Particularly, most previous studies did not consider personal preferences in games presented to subjects as stimuli. In this study, we compared neurophysiological responses elicited for favorite game (FG) videos and non-favorite game (NFG) videos. We aimed to demonstrate neurophysiological characteristics according to the game preference in the IGD group. We measured participants’ electroencephalogram (EEG) while they watched FG, NFG and neutral videos. For FG videos, the parieto-occipital theta power (TPPO) were significantly increased compared with those for NFG videos (P < 0.05, paired t-test). TPPO also differed significantly between the healthy control and IGD groups only on FG videos controlling covariate (TPPO on neutral videos) (P < 0.05, analysis of covariance [ANCOVA]). And TPPO was significantly correlated to self-reported craving score only on FG videos (r = 0.334, P < 0.05). In the present study, we demonstrate that FG videos induce higher TPPO than that induced by NFG videos in the IGD group and TPPO is a reliable EEG feature associated with craving for gaming.

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