Impulsivity-related right superior frontal gyrus as a biomarker of internet gaming disorder

BACKGROUND: Internet gaming disorder (IGD) is a mental health issue that affects individuals worldwide. However, the lack of knowledge about the biomarkers associated with the development of IGD has restricted the diagnosis and treatment of this disorder. AIMS: We aimed to reveal the biomarkers associated with the development of IGD through resting-state brain network analysis and provide clues for the diagnosis and treatment of IGD. METHODS: Twenty-six patients with IGD, 23 excessive internet game users (EIUs) who recurrently played internet games but were not diagnosed with IGD and 29 healthy controls (HCs) performed delay discounting task (DDT) and Iowa gambling task (IGT). Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data were also collected. RESULTS: Patients with IGD exhibited significantly lower hubness in the right medial orbital part of the superior frontal gyrus (ORBsupmed) than both the EIU and the HC groups. Additionally, the hubness of the right ORBsupmed was found to be positively correlated with the highest excessive internet gaming degree during the past year in the EIU group but not the IGD group; this might be the protective mechanism that prevents EIUs from becoming addicted to internet games. Moreover, the hubness of the right ORBsupmed was found to be related to the treatment outcome of patients with IGD, with higher hubness of this region indicating better recovery when undergoing forced abstinence. Further modelling analysis of the DDT and IGT showed that patients with IGD displayed higher impulsivity during the decision-making process, and impulsivity-related parameters were negatively correlated with the hubness of right ORBsupmed. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings revealed that the impulsivity-related right ORBsupmed hubness could serve as a potential biomarker of IGD and provide clues for the diagnosis and treatment of IGD.