Understanding Internet Addiction in Our Progressively Technology-centric World: fMRI Study on Functional Brain Networks and Addiction

    The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has marked a new era of widespread, intensified reliance on technology. Technology, and the internet in particular, have provided mankind with a seemingly endless supply of resources to facilitate learning, connect to others, and explore new interests- all matched with an undeniably attractive level of convenience, reliability, safety, and comfort. In living during a pandemic, maintaining’s one life virtually has become nearly essential.  The rise of social media, dating apps, online shopping, gaming, and seemingly infinite accessibility to information can all be considered staples of our modern, technology-centric world. By choice or by force, it is increasingly difficult to abstain from these newly integrated aspects of living. As our reliance on technology continues to increase, it raises substantial questions concerning the long-term effects of our relationship with technology, and the risk of addiction. As discussed in “Internet addiction and functional brain networks: task-related fMRI study” by Gergely Darnai et al, internet addiction has been included in “Section 3 ‘Emerging Measures and Models’ of the DSM-5, as a condition warranting further study”. As we begin to acknowledge and explore the effects of our use of technology, an important first endeavor is distinguishing what internet addiction looks like, and evaluating our current capability to determine this.

In their research, Darnai et al. sought to investigate the functionality of the default mode network (DMN) and the inhibitory control network (ICN) as it relates to internet addiction. Their emphasis on these two particular networks was based on previous studies that had indicated correlations between individuals with altered ICN and DMN functioning and addictive disorders, including internet addiction. The DMN plays a substantial role in the brain’s more passive states, contributing largely to one’s internally directed mental activity, while the ICN is responsible for “behavioral inhibition”(“What Role Does the Default Mode Network Play in Cognition?”; Darnai et al.).  Darnai et al.’s research included 60 (30 male, 30 female) individuals who considered themselves 45.27% addicted to the internet, with a standard deviation of 29.05%. The research utilized the Problematic Internet Use Questionnaire, verbal congruent and incongruent Stroop tasks, and a non-verbal congruent and incongruent Stroop-like tasks, during which fMRI was conducted, and changes in blood-oxygen level dependent (BOLD) signals were observed. Ultimately, Darnai et al. were able to discern significant BOLD signal changes in response to task-related activity in DMN related structures, implying a connection between altered DMN function and internet-related addictive behavior, as paralleled in other studies. Despite previous research, Darnai et al. found no strong evidence indicating ICN activity in their study. However, as discussed in their research, these findings do not discriminate whether changes in DMN lead to internet addiction, or internet addiction, in turn, leads to changes in DMN function, and does not rule out the role of ICN in internet addiction. Furthermore, Darnai et al. emphasize the necessity for additional studies in more variable populations to determine the applicability of these findings.

However, as noted in “Defining Individual-Specific Functional Neuroanatomy for Precision Psychiatry” by Dr. Caterina Gratton et al., the applicability of fMRI itself in clinical settings is in question. In her research, Gratton and her team investigate the applications of fMRI in exploring functional brain networks, and how research with fMRI can be integrated into our understanding of psychiatric disorders. Although, through their research, they are able to make a strong claim for the ability of fMRI in identifying systems in the brain and “providing context for interpreting brain activity during tasks”, Gratton et al. illuminate the shortcomings of fMRI in being used in individualized or clinical settings, particularly in isolating the specific individuality of neuroanatomy and its role in psychiatric disorders. The Gratton et al. discuss the capability of a newer, more sensitive, precision fMRI (pfMRI) in accounting for these shortcomings, and in turn allowing for the compilation of previously obtained fMRI data, thus gaining the capability to be utilized in more personalized diagnostics. It is important to view the findings of Darnai et al. with this in mind, particularly as their research relied heavily on fMRI data, and as internet addiction remains a more recently acknowledged, yet increasingly important, side effect of our relationship with technology. The recent emergence of internet addiction as a possible addition to the DSM 5, matched with the global shift towards a more technology-reliant population, implies a level of extreme importance as research similar to that which was conducted by Darnai et al. and Gratton et al. continues. As mentioned by Darnai et al., there is hope that their study will be built upon, adding greater confidence with more precise and individualized techniques that could be achieved with the help of newer, more precise techniques such as the pfMRI discussed by Gratton et al. 

As the scope of modern technology continues to expand, it is not only important to understand how our relationship with technology changes, but to recognize the limitations and ramifications of technology use. As discussed by Gratton et al., while advancements in diagnostic technology have revolutionized our understanding of human anatomy and medicine, it is ever more important to understand the selective applications that best reflect the nature of the research, and the findings themselves. It is encouraging that the research presented by Darnai et al. and Gratton et al. has lent a critical, yet advocating, lens to the role of technology in our personal lives and its potential for improvement as we continue to navigate our modern, technology-based world. 

References

Darnai, Gergely, et al. “Internet Addiction and Functional Brain Networks: Task-Related FMRI Study.” Nature News, Nature Publishing Group, 31 Oct. 2019, www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-52296-1. 

Gratton, Caterina, et al. “Defining Individual-Specific Functional Neuroanatomy for Precision Psychiatry.” Biological Psychiatry, Elsevier, 7 Nov. 2019, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006322319318293. 

“What Role Does the Default Mode Network Play in Cognition?” Frontiers, www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/575/what-role-does-the-default-mode-network-play-in-cognition#overview.