Cue-reactivity and inhibitory control in behavioral addcitions: an overview of functional neuroimaging studies

The eleventh revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) lists both gaming disorder and gambling disorder as disorders due to addictive behaviors. The ICD-11 also lists compulsive sexual behavior disorder (CSBD), including problematic pornography use (PPU) as an impulse control disorder. Due to the many similarities between these diagnoses, it is often argued that CSBD or specifically PPU could also be classified as a behavioral addiction. These similarities between gaming disorder, gambling disorder, and PPU potentially include changes in neural mechanisms of cue reactivity and inhibitory control, both of which also play a role in substance addiction such as alcohol use disorder.

Findings from functional neuroimaging studies on both cue reactivity and inhibitory control in PPU, gaming disorder and gambling disorder are integrated within a systematic review. Results are compared to findings from the neuroimaging research on alcohol use disorder.

Similar neural networks appear to be involved in different addictive behaviors. During cue reactivity, the reward network stands out as one such similarity, while similar activity in the limbic salience network and prefrontal executive network seem to emerge during inhibitory control.

This presentation provides a broad overview of neural correlates of both cue reactivity and inhibitory control in behavioral addictions and points out commonalities as well as differences of addictive behaviors. We also point out gaps in current research and advocate for a more systematic approach in researching and comparing behavioral addictions.