title: Impaired inhibition and working memory in response to internet-related words among adolescents with internet addiction: A comparison with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
abstract: Impairments in response inhibition and working memory functions have been found to be closely associated with internet addiction (IA) symptoms and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms. In this study, we examined response inhibition and working memory processes with two different materials (internet-related and internet-unrelated stimuli) among adolescents with IA, ADHD and co-morbid IA/ADHD. Twenty-four individuals with IA, 28 individuals with ADHD, 17 individuals with IA/ADHD, and 26 matched normal controls (NC) individuals were recruited. All participants were measured with a Stop-Signal Task and 2-Back Task under the same experimental conditions. In comparison to the NC group, subjects with IA, ADHD and IA/ADHD demonstrated impaired inhibition and working memory. In addition, in comparison to internet-unrelated conditions, IA and co-morbid subjects performed worse on the internet-related condition in the Stop trials during the stop-signal task, and they showed better working memory on the internet-related condition in the 2-Back Task. The findings of our study suggest individuals with IA and IA/ADHD may be impaired in inhibition and working memory functions that might be linked to poor inhibition specifically related to internet-related stimuli, which will advance our understanding of IA and contribute to prevention and intervention strategies.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, Central China Normal University, Hubei, China; Key Laboratory of Adolescent Cyberpsychology and Behavior (CCNU), Ministry of Education, Wuhan, China.
authors.forename: Jia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nie
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, Central China Normal University, Hubei, China; Key Laboratory of Adolescent Cyberpsychology and Behavior (CCNU), Ministry of Education, Wuhan, China. Electronic address: psyzhwccnu@126.com.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, Central China Normal University, Hubei, China; Key Laboratory of Adolescent Cyberpsychology and Behavior (CCNU), Ministry of Education, Wuhan, China.
authors.forename: Jia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, Central China Normal University, Hubei, China; Key Laboratory of Adolescent Cyberpsychology and Behavior (CCNU), Ministry of Education, Wuhan, China.
authors.forename: Wendi
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000523:psychology*; D016739:Behavior, Addictive / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests
keywords: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder; Internet addiction; Response inhibition; Working memory