Impaired Interference Control in Individuals With Internet Addiction: Evidence From Event-Related Potentials and Brain Oscillations

Abstract

Individuals with Internet addiction disorder (IAD) exhibit deficits in cognitive control, particularly in interference control; however, the behavioural and neural mechanisms underlying these impairments remain unclear. In this study, classic and modified Stroop tasks were administered to individuals with IAD and healthy control (HC) participants, whereas electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded. We hypothesized that individuals with IAD would demonstrate impaired interference control, as evidenced by longer reaction times (RTs) on incongruent trials and that these behavioural deficits would be accompanied by reduced ERP activity in both early and late medial frontal negativity (MFN) components, as well as diminished conflict slow potential (SP). Additionally, our event-related spectral perturbation (ERSP) analysis was designed to examine oscillatory dynamics, including a reduced Stroop effect in theta power along with compensatory increases in beta2 and gamma band activity. The results revealed that individuals with IAD exhibited prolonged RTs, with this difference becoming more pronounced under increased cognitive demands. Furthermore, ERP responses and ERSP patterns across frequency bands were distinct in the IAD group, pointing to deficits in conflict detection and resolution, as well as compensatory neural mechanisms. These findings suggest that cognitive slowing in individuals with IAD is exacerbated under conditions requiring greater interference control, contributing to the executive dysfunction.