OBJECTIVE: To explore the functional locations of brain regions related to internet addiction (IA)with task-functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). METHODS: Nineteen college students who had internet game addition and 19 controls accepted the stimuli of videos via computer. The 3.0 Tesla MRI was used to record the Results of echo plannar imaging. The block design method was used. Intragroup and intergroup analysis Results in the 2 groups were obtained. The differences between the 2 groups were analyzed. RESULTS: The internet game videos markedly activated the brain regions of the college students who had or had no internet game addiction. Compared with the control group, the IA group showed increased activation in the right superior parietal lobule, right insular lobe, right precuneus, right cingulated gyrus, and right superior temporal gyrus. CONCLUSION Internet game tasks can activate the vision, space, attention and execution center which are composed of temporal occipital gyrus and frontal parietal gyrus. Abnormal brain function and lateral activation of the right brain may exist in IA.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Behavior, Addictive ; physiopathology ; Brain ; physiology ; Case-Control Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Internet ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Students ; psychology ; Universities ; Video Games ; psychology ; Young Adult