Assessing the Spectrum of Internet Use in a Healthy Sample: Altered Psychological States and Intact Brain Responses to an Equiprobable Go/NoGo Task
Problematic internet use (PIU) is linked to psychological distress and cognitive alterations, yet its early pre-clinical effects remain unclear. This study explored the psychological, behavioral, and neurophysiological correlates of PIU in a healthy, non-clinical population, focusing on response inh...
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MDPI AG
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Behavioral Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/15/5/579 |
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| author | Dovile Simkute Povilas Tarailis Evaldas Pipinis Inga Griskova-Bulanova |
| author_facet | Dovile Simkute Povilas Tarailis Evaldas Pipinis Inga Griskova-Bulanova |
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| description | Problematic internet use (PIU) is linked to psychological distress and cognitive alterations, yet its early pre-clinical effects remain unclear. This study explored the psychological, behavioral, and neurophysiological correlates of PIU in a healthy, non-clinical population, focusing on response inhibition and execution within internet use patterns. A total of 133 participants (74 females, aged 18–35) were assessed using PIUQ-9 and DPIU questionnaires, along with measures of anxiety, depression, and obsessive–compulsive symptoms. An auditory equiprobable Go/NoGo task was used and event-related potentials (ERPs; N1/N2/P2/P3) were analyzed in relation to PIU severity and different online activities engagement. Additionally, behavioral, psychological, and neurophysiological profiles of individuals with high and low PIU levels were compared. PIU severity correlated with anxiety, depression, and obsessive–compulsive symptoms, while Go/NoGo task accuracy was unaffected. N1 amplitudes negatively correlated with PIU severity and gaming engagement, suggesting altered early sensory processing. NoGo-P3 latency positively correlated with information search engagement, indicating delayed inhibitory processing in frequent online searchers. High and low PIU groups differed in psychological measures but not in ERP or behavioral measures. Our findings confirm psychological distress in PIU alongside subtle neurophysiological alterations, suggesting that ERP measures in the equiprobable Go/NoGo task may not be highly sensitive PIU risk biomarkers in non-clinical populations. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-98e2dbd625e14539bb1fb7683149b508 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2076-328X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Behavioral Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-98e2dbd625e14539bb1fb7683149b5082025-08-20T02:33:30ZengMDPI AGBehavioral Sciences2076-328X2025-04-0115557910.3390/bs15050579Assessing the Spectrum of Internet Use in a Healthy Sample: Altered Psychological States and Intact Brain Responses to an Equiprobable Go/NoGo TaskDovile Simkute0Povilas Tarailis1Evaldas Pipinis2Inga Griskova-Bulanova3Life Sciences Center, Institute of Biosciences, Vilnius University, LT-10257 Vilnius, LithuaniaLife Sciences Center, Institute of Biosciences, Vilnius University, LT-10257 Vilnius, LithuaniaLife Sciences Center, Institute of Biosciences, Vilnius University, LT-10257 Vilnius, LithuaniaLife Sciences Center, Institute of Biosciences, Vilnius University, LT-10257 Vilnius, LithuaniaProblematic internet use (PIU) is linked to psychological distress and cognitive alterations, yet its early pre-clinical effects remain unclear. This study explored the psychological, behavioral, and neurophysiological correlates of PIU in a healthy, non-clinical population, focusing on response inhibition and execution within internet use patterns. A total of 133 participants (74 females, aged 18–35) were assessed using PIUQ-9 and DPIU questionnaires, along with measures of anxiety, depression, and obsessive–compulsive symptoms. An auditory equiprobable Go/NoGo task was used and event-related potentials (ERPs; N1/N2/P2/P3) were analyzed in relation to PIU severity and different online activities engagement. Additionally, behavioral, psychological, and neurophysiological profiles of individuals with high and low PIU levels were compared. PIU severity correlated with anxiety, depression, and obsessive–compulsive symptoms, while Go/NoGo task accuracy was unaffected. N1 amplitudes negatively correlated with PIU severity and gaming engagement, suggesting altered early sensory processing. NoGo-P3 latency positively correlated with information search engagement, indicating delayed inhibitory processing in frequent online searchers. High and low PIU groups differed in psychological measures but not in ERP or behavioral measures. Our findings confirm psychological distress in PIU alongside subtle neurophysiological alterations, suggesting that ERP measures in the equiprobable Go/NoGo task may not be highly sensitive PIU risk biomarkers in non-clinical populations.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/15/5/579behavioral addictionproblematic internet usePIUelectroencephalographyEEGequiprobable Go/NoGo paradigm |
| spellingShingle | Dovile Simkute Povilas Tarailis Evaldas Pipinis Inga Griskova-Bulanova Assessing the Spectrum of Internet Use in a Healthy Sample: Altered Psychological States and Intact Brain Responses to an Equiprobable Go/NoGo Task Behavioral Sciences behavioral addiction problematic internet use PIU electroencephalography EEG equiprobable Go/NoGo paradigm |
| title | Assessing the Spectrum of Internet Use in a Healthy Sample: Altered Psychological States and Intact Brain Responses to an Equiprobable Go/NoGo Task |
| title_full | Assessing the Spectrum of Internet Use in a Healthy Sample: Altered Psychological States and Intact Brain Responses to an Equiprobable Go/NoGo Task |
| title_fullStr | Assessing the Spectrum of Internet Use in a Healthy Sample: Altered Psychological States and Intact Brain Responses to an Equiprobable Go/NoGo Task |
| title_full_unstemmed | Assessing the Spectrum of Internet Use in a Healthy Sample: Altered Psychological States and Intact Brain Responses to an Equiprobable Go/NoGo Task |
| title_short | Assessing the Spectrum of Internet Use in a Healthy Sample: Altered Psychological States and Intact Brain Responses to an Equiprobable Go/NoGo Task |
| title_sort | assessing the spectrum of internet use in a healthy sample altered psychological states and intact brain responses to an equiprobable go nogo task |
| topic | behavioral addiction problematic internet use PIU electroencephalography EEG equiprobable Go/NoGo paradigm |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/15/5/579 |
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