Altered intrinsic connectivity distribution in internet gaming disorder and its associations with psychotherapy treatment outcomes

Alterations in brain connectivity have been implicated in internet gaming disorder (IGD). However, little is known about alterations in whole-brain connectivity and their associations with long-term treatment outcomes. Here, we used a relatively new analytic approach, intrinsic connectivity distribution (ICD) analysis, to examine brain connectivity in 74 IGD participants and 41 matched healthy controls (HCs) and conducted post hoc seed-based resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) analyses based on the ICD findings. We also examined how these findings related to outcomes involving a craving behavioral intervention (CBI) for IGD. IGD participants showed less whole-brain connectivity in the left angular gyrus and ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) compared with HC participants. Seed-based rsFC analyses revealed that the left angular gyrus in the IGD group showed less connectivity with areas involved in the default-mode network and greater connectivity with areas in the salience and executive control networks. CBI was associated with improved connectivity within regions in the default-mode network and regions across the default-mode and salience networks. ICD-identified connectivity differences in the left angular gyrus and vmPFC were related to changes in craving and severity of addiction 6 months after the intervention. The findings suggest that IGD is associated with alterations in brain connectivity that may be sensitive to interventions. Thus, the findings have implications for understanding mechanisms underlying CBI effects and for further treatment development.