Int J Psychophysiol. 2013 Jun 13. pii: S0167-8760(13)00178-5. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2013.06.007
Choi JS, Park SM, Lee J, Hwang JY, Jung HY, Choi SW, Kim DJ, Oh S, Lee JY.
Source
Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea; Department of Psychiatry, SMG-SNU Boramae Medical Center, Seoul, Korea.
Abstract
Internet addiction is the inability to control one’s use of the Internet and is related to impulsivity. Although a few studies have examined neurophysiological activity as individuals with Internet addiction engage in cognitive processing, no information on spontaneous EEG activity in the eyes-closed resting-state is available. We investigated resting-state EEG activities in beta and gamma bands and examined their relationships with impulsivity among individuals with Internet addiction and healthy controls. Twenty-one drug-naïve patients with Internet addiction (age: 23.33 ± 3.50 years) and 20 age-, sex-, and IQ-matched healthy controls (age: 22.40 ± 2.33 years) were enrolled in this study. Severity of Internet addiction was identified by the total score on Young’s Internet Addiction Test. Impulsivity was measured with the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11 and a stop-signal task. Resting-state EEG during eyes closed was recorded, and the absolute/relative power of beta and gamma bands were analyzed.
The Internet addiction group showed high impulsivity and impaired inhibitory control. The generalized estimating equation showed that the Internet–addiction group showed lower absolute power on the beta band than did the control group (estimate = -3.370, p < 0.01). On the other hand, the Internet–addiction group showed higher absolute power on the gamma band than did the control group (estimate = 0.434, p < 0.01). These EEG activities were significantly associated with the severity of Internet addiction as well as with the extent of impulsivity.
The present study suggests that resting-state fast-wave brain activity is related to the impulsivity characterizing Internet addiction. These differences may be neurobiological markers for the pathophysiology of Internet addiction.
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