Research progress on the impact of internet gaming disorder on adolescent brain structure and function

doi:10.16098/j.issn.0529-1356.2025.03.016

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Acta Anatomica Sinica ›› 2025, Vol. 56 ›› Issue (3) : 364-370. DOI: 10.16098/j.issn.0529-1356.2025.03.016

Review

Research progress on the impact of internet gaming disorder on adolescent brain structure and function

YI Hong-yao ^1,2 YUAN Xiao-fan² ZHANG Rong-lan ^2,3 CHEN Hong ⁴ YANG Fan ^1,2 LI Jian^3* CHEN Hong^1,2*

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Abstract

With the rapid development of the Internet, the problem of internet gaming disorder (IGD) among adolescents has gradually become prominent. IGD has caused serious harm to their physical and mental health, and it is difficult to withdraw and treat. In 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) officially listed Gaming Disorder (GD) in the diagnostic category and included it in the 11th edition of the International Classification of Diseases. In China, the number of adolescent internet users has approached 200 million, and the number of IGD patients is relatively large. It is urgent to make breakthroughs in the cognition and treatment of IGD. Domestic and foreign studies have shown that IGD’s physical and psychological harm to adolescents is related to the abnormal activation and functional connection damage of structures such as the prefrontal lobe, limbic system, and striatum, which in turn causes neurocognitive disorders, executive dysfunction, difficulty in emotional regulation, abnormal reward and punishment feedback, behavioral abnormalities and other functional disorders; therefore, this article aims to systematically review the research literature on IGD in recent years, and use neurophysiological imaging research method to sort out the changes in the brain structure and function of adolescents with IGD, in order to improve the understanding of the pathophysiology of the disease, and assist in further clinical diagnosis, treatment, application and research design.

Key words

Internet gaming disorder / Adolescent / Abnormal brain structure / Abnormal brain function

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YI Hong-yao YUAN Xiao-fan ZHANG Rong-lan CHEN Hong YANG Fan LI Jian CHEN Hong. Research progress on the impact of internet gaming disorder on adolescent brain structure and function[J]. Acta Anatomica Sinica. 2025, 56(3): 364-370 https://doi.org/10.16098/j.issn.0529-1356.2025.03.016

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