Features of components N2 and P300 of auditory evoked potential dependent on the level of internet addiction in adolescents

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Due to the popularization of digital technologies, people have begun to spend more time on the internet. Existing studies show mixed results about the impact of internet use on attention, cognitive control, and other cognitive func-tions. AIM: To evaluate the components of the event-related potentials (ERPs) P300 and N2 in practically healthy adolescents aged 16–17 years with varying levels of internet addiction risk and a stable pattern of internet addiction (IA). MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study involved healthy young people aged 16–17 years old who attended Simferopol city school.The Chen Internet addiction scale was used to access the level of IА in the Russian version of V.L. Malygin and K.A. Feklisov. The registration of the ERPs P300 and N2 components was carried out with the use of an electroencephalograph “Neuron-Spectrum-4/VPM” (Neurosoft, Russia). An auditory oddball paradigm was used. RESULTS: In young men, no differences in the N2 and P300 latency were observed across the groups. There was an elongation of the N2 latency in the frontal and central regions of the brain in girls with a proclivity for IА, indicating a slower primary identification and classification of stimuli. In girls with a stable pattern of IА, there was an increase in the N2 latency in the central, left frontal, and right medial temporal regions, as well as an increase in the P300 latency in the frontal, central, and parietal right parts of the brain, compared to girls with minimal risk of IА, indicating the need for more time to identify the stimulus and make a decision. CONCLUSIONS: An increase in the N2 latency has already been reported in girls with a proclivity for IА, which can be used to predict the development of IА and for prevention.