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The primary aim of this study is to evaluate the therapeutic potential of real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) neurofeedback in alleviating internet gaming disorder (IGD) symptoms by training individuals with such symptoms to down-regulate the activity in their reward-processing-related midbrain regions.
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| Label | Type | Description | Intervention Names |
|---|---|---|---|
| Experimental neurofeedback intervention | Experimental | In an approximately 30-minute training session, participants receive activity feedback from a midbrain region involved in reward processing and gaming addiction. Feedback will be presented in the form of a thermometer/bar in the middle of the screen and updated every two seconds. They will be trained to down-regulate the activity in this region with the help of this feedback using cognitive strategies. This down-regulation training is believed to be beneficial to addictive behaviors by the investigators. |
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| Sham feedback intervention | Sham Comparator | In an approximately 30-minute training session, participants receive activity feedback from a brain region irrelevant to reward processing or gaming addictive behavior. The feedback presentation form and task instructions will be the same as for the experimental group. Based on the functional role of the feedback region, the investigators do not believe this feedback training will change the addictive behaviors of the participants who receive this intervention. |
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| Name | Type | Description | Arm Group Labels | Other Names |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neurofeedback training | Device | Neurofeedback training is a type of non-invasive brain modulation technique that enables individuals to self-regulate brain activity patterns by providing them feedback on specific activity measures. Effective self-regulation is often linked to changes in cognition, behavior, and clinical symptoms. |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Change from Baseline in self-reported urge for internet gaming as assessed by Visual Analog Scales (1 to 100) | Up to 30 days after the intervention session |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Change in reward-related activity during exposure to internet gaming videos | Participants will complete cue-reactivity tasks in which they are exposed to video clips captured from the dependent mobile game before and after the intervention. Functional MRI data will be collected to measure their pre- to post-intervention changes in the brain reward processing pathways. | Up to 3 days |
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Inclusion Criteria:
Exclusion Criteria:
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| Name | Affiliation | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Zhen Yuan, Ph.D | University of Macau | Study Director |
| Facility | Status | City | State | ZIP | Country | Contacts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Centre for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, University of Macau | Taipa | 99078 | Macau |
| PubMed Identifier | Type | Citation | Retractions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 39879613 | Derived | Gu A, Chan CL, Xu X, Dexter JP, Becker B, Zhao Z. Real-Time fMRI Neurofeedback Modulation of Dopaminergic Midbrain Activity in Young Adults With Elevated Internet Gaming Disorder Risk: Randomized Controlled Trial. J Med Internet Res. 2025 Jan 29;27:e64687. doi: 10.2196/64687. |
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| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D000082424 | Internet Addiction Disorder |
| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D000088942 | Technology Addiction |
| D016739 | Behavior, Addictive |
| D003192 | Compulsive Behavior |
| D007175 | Impulsive Behavior |
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Eligible candidates will be randomly assigned to either receive the experimental feedback intervention or sham feedback intervention.
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All participants will be blind to the intervention group assignment until they complete the entire study procedure. An outcome assessor who is blind to this assignment will collect the primary outcome measurement data.
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| Sham feedback training | Device | A controlled form of neurofeedback training that provides feedback irrelevant to the targeted mental process. |
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| Change in inhibitory response in the affective Go/Nogo task | This task that uses affective Chinese characters as stimuli will be used to examine changes in inhibitory control performance as well as changes in brain activity associated with this cognitive process pre- to post-intervention. | Up to 3 days |
| D001519 |
| Behavior |