Large-scale network abnormality in behavioral addiction

• Published in: Journal of affective disorders 2024-06, Vol.354, p.743-751
• Main Authors: Chen, Pan, Wang, Junjing, Tang, Guixian, Chen, Guanmao, Xiao, Shu, Guo, Zixuan, Qi, Zhangzhang, Wang, Jurong, Wang, Ying
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Behavior, Addictive - diagnostic imaging; Behavioral addiction; Brain - diagnostic imaging; Brain Mapping; Databases, Factual; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Meta-analysis; Multilevel Analysis; Multilevel kernel density analysis; Resting-state functional connectivity
• ISSN: 0165-0327; 1573-2517
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2024.03.034

Researchers have endeavored to ascertain the network dysfunction associated with behavioral addiction (BA) through the utilization of resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC). Nevertheless, the identification of aberrant patterns within large-scale networks pertaining to BA has proven to be challenging. Whole-brain seed-based rsFC studies comparing subjects with BA and healthy controls (HC) were collected from multiple databases. Multilevel kernel density analysis was employed to ascertain brain networks in which BA was linked to hyper-connectivity or hypo-connectivity with each prior network. Fifty-six seed-based rsFC publications (1755 individuals with BA and 1828 HC) were included in the meta-analysis. The present study indicate that individuals with BAs exhibit (1) hypo-connectivity within the fronto-parietal network (FN) and hypo- and hyper-connectivity within the ventral attention network (VAN); (2) hypo-connectivity between the FN and regions of the VAN, hypo-connectivity between the VAN and regions of the FN and default mode network (DMN), hyper-connectivity between the DMN and regions of the FN; (3) hypo-connectivity between the reward system and regions of the sensorimotor network (SS), DMN and VAN; (4) hypo-connectivity between the FN and regions of the SS, hyper-connectivity between the VAN and regions of the SS. These findings provide impetus for a conceptual framework positing a model of BA characterized by disconnected functional coordination among large-scale networks. •A model of BA featuring disconnected large-scale brain networks reveals impaired functional coordination.•BA individuals display hypo-connectivity within the FN and mixed hypo- and hyper-connectivity within the VAN.•BA individuals display mixed hypo- and hyper-connectivity among the "triple network model".•BA individuals display hypo-connectivity between the reward system and SS, DMN, and VAN.•BA patients exhibit hypo-connectivity between FN and SS, along with hyper-connectivity between VAN and SS.