Tagrid Leménager1, Julia Dieter2, Holger Hill3, Anne Koopmann4, Iris Reinhard5, Madlen Sell6, Falk Kiefer7, Sabine Vollstädt-Klein8, Karl Mann9. 1. Department of Addictive Behaviour and Addiction Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, J5, D-68159 Mannheim, Germany. Electronic address: Tagrid.Lemenager@zi-mannheim.de. 2. Department of Addictive Behaviour and Addiction Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, J5, D-68159 Mannheim, Germany. Electronic address: Julia.Dieter@zi-mannheim.de. 3. Institute of Sports and Sports Science, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Hertzstraße 16, D-76187 Karlsruhe, Germany. Electronic address: Holger.Hill@kit.edu. 4. Department of Addictive Behaviour and Addiction Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, J5, D-68159 Mannheim, Germany. Electronic address: Anne.Koopmann@zi-mannheim.de. 5. Department of Addictive Behaviour and Addiction Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, J5, D-68159 Mannheim, Germany. Electronic address: Iris.Reinhard@zi-mannheim.de. 6. Department of Addictive Behaviour and Addiction Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, J5, D-68159 Mannheim, Germany. Electronic address: Madlen.Sell@zi-mannheim.de. 7. Department of Addictive Behaviour and Addiction Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, J5, D-68159 Mannheim, Germany. Electronic address: Falk.Kiefer@zi-mannheim.de. 8. Department of Addictive Behaviour and Addiction Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, J5, D-68159 Mannheim, Germany. Electronic address: Sabine.Vollstaedt-Klein@zi-mannheim.de. 9. Department of Addictive Behaviour and Addiction Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, J5, D-68159 Mannheim, Germany. Electronic address: Karl.Mann@zi-mannheim.de.
Abstract
AIMS: MMORPG addiction has been associated with self-concept impairments and increased identification with the own avatar. Yet, the underlying neurobiological mechanisms of self-identification with avatars, especially reflected in the left angular gyrus (AG), have only been assessed in regular gamers. Therefore, the study aims to examine neurobiological processes in addicted MMORPG players while evaluating their own and their personal avatar's body image (physical self-concept). METHODS: Sixteen addicted and seventeen non-addicted gamers underwent functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) while viewing images of themselves, their own avatar and unfamiliar persons. The Body Image Questionnaire (FKB-20) and Visual Analog Scales (VAS) assessing the degree of attractiveness, sympathy and gender identity of the self, of the avatar as well as of the unfamiliar persons were applied. RESULTS: Addicts showed a significantly extended negative body image and lower gender identity levels as well as decreased bilateral brain activations in the AG and the middle occipital gyrus during self-perception. They further exhibited higher activations in the left AG during avatar-perception. Regression analyses in the overall group and in addicted gamers indicated a significant positive correlation between gender identity and brain activation in the left AG during self-perception. CONCLUSIONS: Our results confirm addicted MMORPG players to have physical self-concept deficits which may be related to hypoactivations in the AG. The findings further indicate addicted gamers to have a tendency to identify themselves easier with their own avatar than with their real self. Lower gender identity levels might be associated with physical self-concept deficits in MMORPG addiction.
AIMS: MMORPG addiction has been associated with self-concept impairments and increased identification with the own avatar. Yet, the underlying neurobiological mechanisms of self-identification with avatars, especially reflected in the left angular gyrus (AG), have only been assessed in regular gamers. Therefore, the study aims to examine neurobiological processes in addicted MMORPG players while evaluating their own and their personal avatar's body image (physical self-concept). METHODS: Sixteen addicted and seventeen non-addicted gamers underwent functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) while viewing images of themselves, their own avatar and unfamiliar persons. The Body Image Questionnaire (FKB-20) and Visual Analog Scales (VAS) assessing the degree of attractiveness, sympathy and gender identity of the self, of the avatar as well as of the unfamiliar persons were applied. RESULTS: Addicts showed a significantly extended negative body image and lower gender identity levels as well as decreased bilateral brain activations in the AG and the middle occipital gyrus during self-perception. They further exhibited higher activations in the left AG during avatar-perception. Regression analyses in the overall group and in addicted gamers indicated a significant positive correlation between gender identity and brain activation in the left AG during self-perception. CONCLUSIONS: Our results confirm addicted MMORPG players to have physical self-concept deficits which may be related to hypoactivations in the AG. The findings further indicate addicted gamers to have a tendency to identify themselves easier with their own avatar than with their real self. Lower gender identity levels might be associated with physical self-concept deficits in MMORPG addiction.
Authors: John B Saunders; Wei Hao; Jiang Long; Daniel L King; Karl Mann; Mira Fauth-Bühler; Hans-Jürgen Rumpf; Henrietta Bowden-Jones; Afarin Rahimi-Movaghar; Thomas Chung; Elda Chan; Norharlina Bahar; Sophia Achab; Hae Kook Lee; Marc Potenza; Nancy Petry; Daniel Spritzer; Atul Ambekar; Jeffrey Derevensky; Mark D Griffiths; Halley M Pontes; Daria Kuss; Susumu Higuchi; Satoko Mihara; Sawitri Assangangkornchai; Manoj Sharma; Ahmad El Kashef; Patrick Ip; Michael Farrell; Emanuele Scafato; Natacha Carragher; Vladimir Poznyak Journal: J Behav Addict Date: 2017-08-17 Impact factor: 6.756