Prefrontal cortex responses to game rewards and losses in individuals with internet gaming disorder : insights from fNIRS during mobile gameplay
Start Date
22-2-2025 2:15 PM
End Date
22-2-2025 2:45 PM
Description
Aims: This study aimed to explore the brain activity characteristics of individuals with Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) during mobile gameplay, focusing on neural responses to positive and negative game events. The findings may enhance our understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying IGD.
Methods: Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) was employed to measure hemodynamic responses (HbO/HbR) in the prefrontal cortex of both IGD participants and recreational gaming users (RGU), during solo and multiplayer mobile gameplay.
Results: In solo mode, IGD participants exhibited stronger activation in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dLPFC), frontopolar area (FPA), orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) in response to positive events compared to RGU. Negative events led to reduced activation in the FPA among IGD participants. In multiplayer mode, IGD participants displayed lower activation in the dLPFC and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (vLPFC), although overall brain response trends to positive and negative events were similar between IGD and RGU.
Conclusions: This study suggests that individuals with IGD exhibit heightened sensitivity to rewards and diminished sensitivity to losses, along with potential impairments in the executive control network. These results contribute to a better understanding of the neural mechanisms of IGD and offer insights for developing targeted interventions aimed at addressing abnormal reward and loss processing.
Speaker
Prof YANG Haibo
Professor, Faculty of Psychology, Tianjin Normal University, China
Haibo Yang is a professor of psychology and the head of the Department of Psychology at Tianjin Normal University. His research focus on cognitive development and mental health, and his specific research field is to explore the relationship between cognitive processing and mental health of adolescents with problematic smartphone use using a multi modal approach . He is the first young innovation expert of Tianjin and excellent science and technology Volunteer of Tianjin. He has presided over a number of projects such as the National Natural Science Foundation project and the National Social Science Foundation project. He has published more than 70 papers, 2 monographs and 2 textbooks. He has obtained 8 invention patents and participated in the formulation of 1 national standard . His works won the first prize of Tianjin Humanities and Social Science Outstanding Achievements and the Zhixian Zhu Psychology Award . He is a member of the National Graduate Education Steering Committee for Applied Psychology, deputy director of the General Psychology and Experimental Psychology Professional Committee of the Chinese Psychological Society, Deputy director of the Adolescent Mental Health Professional Committee of the Chinese Mental Health Association, member of the Eye movement Psychology Research Professional Committee of the Chinese Psychological Society, member of the Network psychology professional Committee of the Chinese Psychological Society. He is also a vice editor of Psychological and Behavioral Research.
Co-author(s)
Xinyu ZHANG; Dongyu LIU
Document Type
Keynote speech
Recommended Citation
Yang, H. (2025, February 22). Prefrontal cortex responses to game rewards and losses in individuals with internet gaming disorder: Insights from fNIRS during mobile gameplay. Presentation presented at the International Conference and Workshop on Health and Well-being in the Digital Era. Sun Yat-sen University, China
Prefrontal cortex responses to game rewards and losses in individuals with internet gaming disorder : insights from fNIRS during mobile gameplay
Aims: This study aimed to explore the brain activity characteristics of individuals with Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) during mobile gameplay, focusing on neural responses to positive and negative game events. The findings may enhance our understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying IGD.
Methods: Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) was employed to measure hemodynamic responses (HbO/HbR) in the prefrontal cortex of both IGD participants and recreational gaming users (RGU), during solo and multiplayer mobile gameplay.
Results: In solo mode, IGD participants exhibited stronger activation in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dLPFC), frontopolar area (FPA), orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) in response to positive events compared to RGU. Negative events led to reduced activation in the FPA among IGD participants. In multiplayer mode, IGD participants displayed lower activation in the dLPFC and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (vLPFC), although overall brain response trends to positive and negative events were similar between IGD and RGU.
Conclusions: This study suggests that individuals with IGD exhibit heightened sensitivity to rewards and diminished sensitivity to losses, along with potential impairments in the executive control network. These results contribute to a better understanding of the neural mechanisms of IGD and offer insights for developing targeted interventions aimed at addressing abnormal reward and loss processing.