title: [A voxel-based morphometric analysis of brain gray matter in online game addicts].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the possible brain mechanism of online game addiction (OGA) in terms of brain morphology through voxel-based morphometric (VBM) analysis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventeen subjects with OGA and 17 age- and gender-matched healthy controls (HC group) were recruited from Department of Psychology at our hospital during February-December 2011. The internet addiction scale (IAS) was used to measure the degree of OGA tendency. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans were performed to acquire 3-dimensional T1-weighted images. And FSL 4.1 software was employed to confirm regional gray matter volume changes. For the regions where OGA subjects showed significantly different gray matter volumes from the controls, the gray matter volumes of these areas were extracted, averaged and regressed against the scores of IAS.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The OGA group had lower gray matter volume in left orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), left medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), bilateral insula (INS), left posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) and left supplementary motor area (SMA). Gray matter volumes of left OFC and bilateral INS showed a negative correlation with the scores of IAS (r = -0.65, r = -0.78, P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Gray matter volume changes are present in online game addicts and they may be correlated with the occurrence and maintenance of OGA.
authors: Department of Neurosurgery, Affiliated Anhui Provincial Hospital, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230001, China.
authors: Chuan-bo
authors: CB
authors: Weng
authors: Ruo-bing
authors: RB
authors: Qian
authors: Xian-ming
authors: XM
authors: Fu
authors: Bin
authors: B
authors: Lin
authors: Xue-bing
authors: XB
authors: Ji
authors: Chao-shi
authors: CS
authors: Niu
authors: Ye-han
authors: YH
authors: Wang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D016739:Behavior, Addictive / Q000473:pathology*; D001699:Biometry; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000473:pathology; D006179:Gyrus Cinguli / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000473:pathology; D018910:Video Games / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult