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The Role of BDNF and NPY Levels, Effects of Behavioral Systems and Emotion Regulation on Internet Addiction in Adolescents

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Abstract

Internet addiction (IA), one of the behavioral addictions, is also related to impulsivity. Although studies on its etiology and risks continue, the number of studies is limited. In this study, we aimed to assess the roles of behavioral systems, emotional regulation (ER), and impulsivity in the development of IA in adolescents and also to assess the relationship between all these clinical parameters and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and neuropeptide Y (NPY). Forty-two adolescents with IA and 30 healthy controls (ages 12 –17) were included in the study. Self-reported measures included the Internet Addiction Scale. (IAS), Behavioral Activation and Behavioral Inhibition Scale (BAS/BIS), Barratt. Impulsiveness Scale-11 (BIS-11), and Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale-16 (DERS-16) were used for the assessment of the participants. The levels of plasma brain BDNF and NPY were evaluated with the ELISA method. BAS/BIS subscale scores, BIS-11, and DERS-16 scale total scores were found to be statistically significantly higher, while BDNF and NPY levels were found to be lower in adolescents with IA compared to the healthy controls. IA severity was not found to correlate with both BDNF and NPY. IA was found to be more related to BIS than to BAS. There is a need for further studies evaluating developmental features and possible diagnostic biomarkers that may be associated with IA in adolescents.

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Data Availability

The data presented in this study are available upon request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to privacy restrictions.

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Funding

This study was funded by the Scientific Research Center of Erciyes University (grant number TTU-2018–8517). The Scientific Research Center of Erciyes University had no further role in study design; in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; and in the decision to submit the paper for publication.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Erciyes, Kayseri, 38039, Turkey

    Esra Demirci & Sevgi Ozmen

  2. Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Amasya Sabuncuoglu Serefeddin Training and Research Hospital, Amasya, Turkey

    Neslihan Tastepe

  3. Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Erciyes, Kayseri, Turkey

    Eser Kilic

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  1. Esra Demirci
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  2. Neslihan Tastepe
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Contributions

Designed the study: ED and NT. Performed the experiments or case: ED, NT and SO. Analyses of samples: EK. Analyzed the data: ED, NT, EK and SO. Wrote the paper: ED, NT, EK and SO. All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Esra Demirci.

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Demirci, E., Tastepe, N., Ozmen, S. et al. The Role of BDNF and NPY Levels, Effects of Behavioral Systems and Emotion Regulation on Internet Addiction in Adolescents. Psychiatr Q 94, 605–616 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11126-023-10046-7

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