The Roles of Delayed Cortical Maturation and Lower Anticipatory Reward Activation in Predicting Addictive Screen Use in Youth.
Level 3 - non-randomized controlled study
Prospective longitudinal cohort study (ABCD Study)
PubMed 41905476 · doi:10.1016/j.bpsc.2026.03.012
What was done
The authors analyzed baseline (ages 9–10, Year 0) resting-state and monetary incentive delay task fMRI data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study to prospectively predict addictive screen use (composite measure, addictive video gaming, social media use, and phone use) at a 2-year follow-up (ages 11–12, Year 2). Cortical connectomic maturation was calculated via functional connectome proximity to adult patterns and supplemented by cognitive task performance; nucleus accumbens activation during reward anticipation indexed reward processing.
What was found
The abstract reports directional relationships without numerical values, test statistics, or effect sizes. Adjusting for total screen time and parent-reported attention problems, lower baseline connectomic maturation was associated with higher Year 2 composite addictive screen use and addictive video gaming. Cortical maturation correlated with both addictive screen use and cognitive task performance, but task performance was not directly linked to addictive screen use. Baseline nucleus accumbens reward anticipation activation was very weakly associated with higher Year 2 addictive screen use.
Why it matters
This study provides longitudinal evidence that delayed cortical network maturation and altered reward processing precede the emergence of addictive screen behaviors in early adolescence, demonstrating neural risk factors independent of total screen duration.
Limits
The abstract omits exact sample sizes, numerical effect sizes, confidence intervals, and p-values. The link between nucleus accumbens activation and addictive screen use was noted as very weak, and connectomic maturation is an indirect functional connectome proxy rather than a direct clinical or structural measurement.
Cited by
- context Digital platforms and social media rewire the brain through neuroplasticity and alter brain waves to mimic addictive behavioral patterns.