| Title |
Internet usage habits and experienced levels of psychopathology: a pilot study on association with spontaneous eye blinking rate / |
| Authors |
Šimkutė, Dovilė ; Nagula, Igor ; Tarailis, Povilas ; Burkauskas, Julius ; Griškova-Bulanova, Inga |
| DOI |
10.3390/jpm11040288 |
| Full Text |
|
| Is Part of |
Journal of personalized medicine.. Basel : MDPI. 2021, vol. 11, no. 4, art. no. 288, p. [1-9].. eISSN 2075-4426 |
| Keywords [eng] |
spontaneous eye blinking rate ; sEBR ; problematic internet use ; PIU ; PIUQ-9 |
| Abstract [eng] |
Increasing availability of the internet has resulted in the increased prevalence of problem-atic online behaviors. Reliable and affordable neurobiological and psychological biomarkers thatdistinguish problematic internet use (PIU) from functional online activities are of utmost importance.Previous studies have shown a relationship between spontaneous eye blinking rate (sEBR) andchanges in dopamine regulation in neurological and psychiatric disorders, including substance usedisorders. In this study, we utilized sEBR to examine the potential link between individual differencesin dopaminergic neurotransmission and PIU. In sum, 62 subjects participated in this study (medianage 25, IQR 6 years, 34 females). The Problematic Internet Use Questionnaire (PIUQ-9), Beck Depres-sion Inventory (BDI-II), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Clark–Beck Obsessive–Compulsive Inventory(CBOCI) and Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11) were used for psychological assessment. The sEBRswere assessed with an electrooculogram recorded from above and below the left eye and from theright and left outer canthi. The group with PIU (PIUQ-9 > 20) expressed higher levels of impulsivityand compulsive behavior symptoms than the control group. In the group with PIU, impulsivitylevels were inversely related to sEBR, and a trend of negative association of sEBR with compulsivebehavior was observed. Future research should enroll subjects with high levels of PIU and stronglyexpressed psychopathology levels to further address the utility of sEBR as a potential biomarker. |
| Published |
Basel : MDPI |
| Type |
Journal article |
| Language |
English |
| Publication date |
2021 |
| CC license |
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