Acta Medica Medianae
Vol. 50, No 1, March, 2011
UDK 61
ISSN 0365-4478(Printed version)
ISSN 1821-2794(Online)
 

Correspondence to:

Jelena Jović

Health Center Užice

Primary Health Care Center Užice

E-mail: jovic.jelena@gmail.com

Review article
UDC:616.314-089.28:616.315

doi:10.5633/amm.2011.0112  

Influence of  Dopaminergic System On Internet Addiction

 Jelena Jović¹ and Nataša Đinđić²

                           Health Center Užice, Primary Health Care Center Užice, Serbia¹

                           Faculty of Medicine, University of Niš, Serbia²

Internet addiction is a clinical anomaly with strong negative consequences on social, work-related, family, financial, and economic function of a person. It is regarded as a serious public health issue. The basic idea of this paper is to, based on the currently available body of research work on this topic, point out to neurobiological pathos of Internet addiction, and its connection to the dopaminergic system. Dopamine contains all physiological functions of neurotransmitters and it is a part of chatecholamine family. Five dopaminergic receptors (D1 - D5) belong to the super family of receptors related to G-protein. Through these receptors, dopamine achieves its roles: regulation of voluntary movement, regulation of center of pleasure, hormonal regulation, and regulation of hypertension. In order to recognize an Internet user as an addict, he or she needs to comply with the criteria suggested by the American Psychiatric Association (APA). Phenomenological, neurobiological, and pharmacological data indicates similarities in pathopsychology of substance addiction and pathological gambling, which are indirectly related to the similarity with the Internet addiction. Responding to stimuli from the game, addicts have shown more brain activity in the nape region, left dorsolateral, prefrontal cortex, and left parachipocampal gyrus than in the control group. After the six-week bupropion therapy, desire to play Internet and video games, the total duration of playing, and induced brain activity in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex are lowered with the addicts. Acta Medica Medianae 2011;50(1):60-66.

Key words:Internet, addiction, dopaminergic system