Internet Addiction Disorder: Personality characteristics and risk of pathological overuse in adolescents.

AIM: Few studies have investigated Internet Addiction (IA) in adolescents in relation to personality characteristics. The aim of this study was to determine whether personality differences exist between adolescents with problematic/pathological Internet use and those with normal Internet use. Our hypothesis was that certain psychopathological personality traits may predispose to the development of maladaptive Internet use. METHODS: The Internet Addiction Test (IAT) and the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-Adolescent (MMPI-A) were administered to a sample of 224 high school students. RESULTS: Analysis of IAT scores showed that 24.6% of the students had problematic Internet use and 1.6% had IA. Comparison of the MMPI-A scores between subjects with normal Internet use and those with problematic or pathological use based on the IAT score showed that some subscales, including schizophrenia and bizarre mentation, were strongly associated with problematic/pathological Internet use. Also, male sex, attending a vocational school, and unhappy childhood were found to be risk factors for IA. CONCLUSIONS: Certain psychological dimensions regarding mood and the psychotic area, as well as low self-esteem, family, school and conduct problems could represent risk factors. Taken together, our data suggest a personality profile, with problems at various levels in subjects with problematic or pathological Internet use.

Addictive behaviors and personality traits in adolescents.

INTRODUCTION: Behavioral addictions refer to repeated dysfunctional behaviors that do not involve the ingestion of addictive substances. Studies on the association between behavioral addictions and personality traits have noted in individuals with problematic behaviors a high proclivity toward impulsivity and sensation-seeking and a low predisposition to harm avoidance. The majority of these studies have focused on adults, while far fewer have involved adolescents. METHODS: The study population was 109 high school students (age range 15-18 years) in Turin, Italy. Participants completed an assessment that comprised a demographic questionnaire and 3 self-report questionnaires: the Shorter PROMIS Questionnaire (SPQ), the Internet Addiction Test (IAT), and the Multidimensional Questionnaire for Adolescents (QMA). RESULTS: A gender-related difference in the risk of developing an addictive behavior was observed, with a significantly higher percentage of risk seen for several addiction tendencies among the males. Statistically significant correlations emerged between some personality determinants and certain addictive behaviors. DISCUSSION: The study pinpoints epidemiological indicators for the extent of this growing problem among adolescents. CONCLUSIONS: The findings have implications for identifying protection factors and risk factors for addictive behaviors and related psychiatric disorders, and the development of primary prevention strategies derived from such factors.

In vivo evidence of global and focal brain alterations in anorexia nervosa.

Brain alterations are known to be associated with anorexia nervosa (AN) and tend to be distributed across brain structures, with only a few reports describing focal damage. Magnetic resonance images of 21 anorexic patients with different disease duration and 27 control subjects were acquired and compared using voxel-based morphometry (VBM). Patients had a significant reduction of total white matter (WM) volume and focal gray matter (GM) atrophy in cerebellum, hypothalamus, caudate nucleus and frontal, parietal and temporal areas. The cerebellum was more affected in patients with longer disease duration, whereas the hypothalamic alterations were more pronounced in patients with shorter food restriction. A correlation with body mass index (BMI) and GM was found in the hypothalamus. Our data demonstrate a diffuse reduction of WM together with focal areas of GM atrophy in AN. The finding of a hypothalamic focal atrophy points to hormonal dysfunction and opens the possibility for a central dysregulation of homeostasis. The involvement of temporoparietal areas could account for body image distortion. Finally, the cerebellar GM atrophy confirms previous findings and seems to be a late consequence of AN that could play a role in the chronic phase of the disease.

Neuropsychologic assessment of patients with advanced Parkinson disease submitted to extradural motor cortex stimulation.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate changes in cognitive functioning and emotive state in 3 inpatients with advanced Parkinson disease (PD) treated with extradural motor cortex stimulation (EMCS), an experimental neurosurgical procedure. BACKGROUND: Studies on the neuropsychologic assessment of patients with PD after EMCS are in process. The procedure has been applied for some years as an experimental method for treating PD. METHOD: A battery of neuropsychologic tests and emotive assessment scales were administered to 3 inpatients with PD 2 days before the intervention and then again after 1 year to evaluate changes in cognitive functioning and emotive state. RESULTS: At 1-year postintervention, cognitive functions and depressive symptoms were steady; 2 patients showed a mild improvement in quality of life. CONCLUSIONS: In this patient group, EMCS, an experimental neurosurgical treatment, had a positive effect on motor symptoms. Neuropsychologic assessment after a 1-year follow-up period showed that cognitive functions had not changed with respect to baseline characteristics.