Exercise trial tracked gaming-disorder symptoms and brain activity in students
Symptom scores fell in the supervised treadmill group, and brain-scan changes were observed. The abstract does not quantify how symptom changes differed from those with unrestricted exercise.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
The supervised treadmill group had lower gaming-disorder symptom scores after the program. An analysis compared how scores on the IAT symptom assessment changed over time between groups, but the abstract does not quantify that difference. Brain-scan changes and their correlations with symptoms do not establish why symptoms improved or whether any improvement lasted.
Only 64 of 80 randomized students completed the study. The abstract gives no effect sizes, reasons for noncompletion or follow-up showing whether symptom changes persisted.
What researchers found
IAT symptom-score changes
This analysis compared how symptom scores changed over 6 weeks with progressive treadmill training versus unrestricted exercise. The abstract does not specify the direction or size of that difference.
What the groups did
The trial compared supervised treadmill sessions that became progressively more demanding with unrestricted exercise. Researchers assessed symptoms and brain activity before and after the program to examine changes in both.
What the scans show
Changes in a brain region called the caudate correlated with IAT improvement. The abstract does not clearly describe a between-group imaging comparison, and the correlation cannot establish that brain changes caused symptom improvement.
The original publication
Effects of progressive aerobic training on neural synchrony and functional connectivity in internet gaming disorder: a randomized controlled fMRI study.
Li Q, Luo X, Wei M et al.
BMC Psychiatry · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 41088106
- Record checked
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