ArticleScientific reports2023
Mild internet use is associated with epigenetic alterations of key neurotransmission genes in salivary DNA of young university students.
Article in Scientific reports, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.
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Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 8 citations in OpenAlex.
- Epigenetics of generalized internet use disorder including data on overuse of social media: a closer look at the SLC6A4, NR3C1 and OXT genes.BMC psychiatry · 2026Article
- Review
- Machine learning for individual epigenetic fingerprints as predictors of well-being in young adults.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Effects of Screen-Based Leisure Time on 24 Subsequent Health and Wellbeing Outcomes: A Longitudinal Outcome-Wide Analysis.International journal of behavioral medicine · 2025Article
- Depressive and mobile phone addiction symptoms in Chinese adolescents with major depressive disorder: the mediating effect of alexithymia.BMC psychiatry · 2025Article
- Molecular and Neurobiological Imbalance from the Use of Technological Devices During Early Child Development Stages.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Dopamine and Serotonin Transporter Genes Regulation in Highly Sensitive Individuals during Stressful Conditions: A Focus on Genetics and Epigenetics.Biomedicines · 2024Article
- Online and Offline Aggressive Behaviors in Adolescence: The Role of Self-Regulatory Self-Efficacy Beliefs.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Internet addiction and depressive symptoms in adolescents: joint trajectories and predictors.Frontiers in public health · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
11 authors at 7 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The potentially problematic use of the Internet is a growing concern worldwide, which causes and consequences are not completely understood yet. The neurobiology of Internet addiction (IA) has attracted much attention in scientific research, which is now focusing on identifying measurable biological markers. Aim of this study was to investigate epigenetic and genetic regulation of oxytocin receptor (OXTR), dopamine transporter (DAT1) and serotonin transporter (SERT) genes using DNA obtained from saliva samples of young university students: the Internet Addiction Test (IAT) was administered to evaluate the potential existence and intensity of IA. Significant changes in DNA methylation levels at OXTR, DAT1 and SERT genes were observed in the 30 < IAT < 49 group (mild-risk internet users) compared to the IAT < 29 subjects (complete control of internet use) and IAT > 50 subjects (considered as moderately addicted). Moreover, epigenetic markers were significantly correlated, either directly (for OXTR and DAT1) or inversely (OXTR and DAT1 versus SERT), to the psychometric properties. Our data confirmed the association of OXTR, DAT1 and SERT genes in processes related to behavioural addictions and might be of relevance to suggest possible biological predictors of altered behaviours and the eventual vulnerability to develop an IA. Different other genetic pathways have been suggested to play a role in IA and research is ongoing to better define them, in order to help in the early diagnosis as well as in the development of new potential treatments.
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