Electroencephalography-detected neurophysiology of internet addiction disorder and internet gaming disorder in adolescents - A review.

INTRODUCTION: Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD) is an umbrella term for various types of Internet-based behavioural addiction, whereas Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) addresses a specific type of IAD that is postulated to be due to a lack of control in impulse inhibition. IGD is an area of concern in the Diagnostic and Statistics Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), which can be objectively assessed by dysfunctional behaviour and the increasing time of being online, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Electroencephalography (EEG) identifies amplitude changes in the evoked response potential (ERP) among IGDs, correlated with underlying comorbidities. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A scoping review was performed to elaborate on the research regarding resting-state EEG and task-based EEG, particularly for Go/No-go paradigms pertaining to subjects with IAD or specifically IGD. The role of EEG was identified in its diagnostic capability to identify the salient changes that occurred in the response to reward network and the executive control network, using restingstate and task-based EEG. The implication of using EEG in monitoring the therapy for IAD and IGD was also reviewed. RESULTS: EEG generally revealed reduced beta waves and increased theta waves in addicts. IGD with depression demonstrated increased theta and decreased alpha waves. Whereas increased P300, a late cognitive ERP component, was frequently associated with impaired excessive allocation of attentional resources of the IAD towards addiction-specific cues. IGD had increased whole brain delta waves at baseline, which showed significant reduction post therapy. CONCLUSION: EEG can identify distinct neurophysiological changes among Internet Addiction Disorder and Internet Gaming Disorder that are akin to substance abuse disorders.

A survey on smartphone dependence and psychological effects among undergraduate students in a Malaysian University.

OBJECTIVE: Problematic smartphone use (PSU) is the development of pathological dependence at the expense of performing activities of daily living, thus having negative health and psychological impact on the users. Previous PSU studies focused on medical students and little is known regarding its effect on students undergoing other courses. The objective of this study is to identify the pattern of smartphone usage and determine the psychological factors affecting PSU among undergraduate students in Malaysia and compare the pattern among students from different fields of study. METHOD: A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted using the validated Smartphone Addiction Scale-Malay version (SAS-M) questionnaire. One-way ANOVA was used to determine the correlation between the PSU among the students categorised by their ethnicity, hand dominance and by their field of study. MLR analysis was applied to predict PSU based on socio-demographic data, usage patterns, psychological factors and fields of study. RESULTS: A total of 1060 students completed the questionnaire. Most students had some degree of problematic usage of the smartphone. Students used smartphones predominantly to access SNAs, namely Instagram. Longer duration on the smartphone per day, younger age at first using a smartphone and underlying depression carried higher risk of developing PSU, whereas the field of study (science vs. humanities based) did not contribute to an increased risk of developing PSU. CONCLUSION: Findings from this study can help better inform university administrators about at- risk groups of undergraduate students who may benefit from targeted intervention designed to reduce their addictive behaviour patterns.