| Decreased Serum Cocaine- and Amphetamine-Regulated Transcript Level in Internet Gaming Disorder |
Ara Cho1 
, Heejin Lee2
, Dong Huey Cheon3
, So Young Yoo4
, Arom Pyeon2
, Ji-Won Chun5
, Ji Hyun Back3
, Yae Eun Park3
, Dai-Jin Kim2
, Ji Eun Lee3
, Jung-Seok Choi1
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1Department of Psychiatry, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
2Department of Psychiatry, Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
3Chemical and Biological Integrative Research Center, Biomedical Research Division, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul, Republic of Korea
4Department of Psychiatry, SMG-SNU Boramae Medical Center, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
5Department of Medical Informatics, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea |
Correspondence: Dai-Jin Kim ,Tel: +82-2-2258-7586, Email: kdj922@catholic.ac.kr
Correspondence: Ji Eun Lee ,Tel: +82-2-958-6422, Fax: +82-2-958-5308, Email: jelee9137@kist.re.kr
Correspondence: Jung-Seok Choi ,Tel: +82-2-3410-3581, Fax: +82-2-3410-0050, Email: choijs73@gmail.com
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Received: November 13, 2023 Revised: February 9, 2024 Accepted: May 16, 2024 Published online: July 24, 2024 |
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| Abstract |
Objective
Vulnerability to internet gaming disorder (IGD) has increased as internet gaming continues to grow. Cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART) is a hormone that plays a role in reward, anxiety, and stress. The purpose of this study was to identify the role of CART in the pathophysiology of IGD.
Methods
The serum CART levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and the associations of the serum CART level with psychological variables were analyzed in patients with IGD (n=31) and healthy controls (HC) (n=42).
Results
The serum CART level was significantly lower in the IGD than HC group. The IGD group scored significantly higher than the HC group on the psychological domains of depression, anxiety, the reward response in the Behavioral Activation System and Behavioral Inhibition System. There were no significant correlations between serum CART level and other psychological variables in the IGD group.
Conclusion
Our results indicate that a decrease in the expression of the serum CART level is associated with the vulnerability of developing IGD. This study supports the possibility that CART is a biomarker in the pathophysiology of IGD. |
| Key words
Internet gaming disorder; Cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript protein; Reward |
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