Investigating the Neurophysiological Biomarker to Classify the Internet Gaming Disorder based on EEG

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to compare neurophysiological biomarker by comparing brain activities of Internet gaming disorder and healthy control group during game through EEG. The definition of Internet gaming disorder means that the excessive use of Internet games can cause loss of control of the individual, resulting in difficulties in daily life. The factors of the Internet gaming disorder include tolerance and withdrawal symptoms, and the World Health Organization (WHO) categorized Internet gaming disorder as a disease in 2018. Recent brain imaging studies have shown that Internet gaming disorder is related to the prefrontal cortex and thus decreases cognitive control ability. Cognitive control is the ability to see and save memories as they see the novelty, which is one of the executive functions that allows you to control planned and goal-directed behavior. In terms of reinforcement learning, in a gaming environment, the player recognizes the current state and selects an action that maximizes compensation among selectable actions. Top-down goal-directed control that predicts future situations based on given information and establishes strategies for achieving goals, in contrast, bottom-up stimulus-driven control that responds to situations without information or strategy. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to identify EEG patterns in Internet gaming disorder and healthy control group through EEG data acquired during game execution. Subjects were classified into normal group (YIAT <50, n = 35) and internet game addiction group (YIAT> 50, n = 24) through Young 's Internet Addiction Test (YIAT) questionnaire. In addition, by excluding subjects with comorbid conditions (anxiety, depression, alcohol addiction, and ADHD), we controlled variables excluding impulsivity, which is the main characteristic of behavioral addiction. As a result, the subjects of the Internet gaming disorder showed a significant decrease in the left frontal theta, alpha and beta bands during the game compared to the subjects of the healthy control. There was a significant correlation between the left frontal EEG and the YIAT score. In the game, the Internet gaming disorder group performed top-down goal-directed control while the healthy control group performed bottom-up stimulus-driven control. In addition, it is known that the frontal theta and alpha bands in the boredom state show a small amplitude compared with the concentration state, and that the beta decline of the frontal lobe is related to the impairment of reward feedback. The results of this study may be the basis for the change of brain activities internet gaming disorder during the game.