Internet addiction levels alter the functional connectivity of executive networks in the creative brain

Abstract: Recent behavioural and neuroimaging studies have shown that problematic and compulsive Internet use produces acute and sustained alterations in the brain areas associated with cognition, affecting attention, memory, and social interaction. In this network neuroscience study, we applied resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) to examine whether and how levels of Internet addiction affect functional connectivity in the human brain associated with creative cognition. Our results showed a decrease in functional connectivity between the visual network (VN), the executive control network (ECN), and the frontoparietal network (FPN) with higher levels of Internet addiction, indicating a reduced capacity for focussed attention. Individual differences in creative abilities and Internet addiction showed a decrease in functional connectivity within and between the ECN, the FPN and the VN, which are essential for processing creative cognition. The results lead to the conclusion that Internet addiction levels alter the functional connectivity in the brain regions associated with creative cognition.