Alterations of the default mode network, salience network, and frontoparietal network in non-problematic Internet use and their association with mood regulation: from an internet literacy perspective
Frontiers in Neuroscience July 1, 2025 Mami Shibata, Kosuke Tsurumi, Kei Kobayashi et al.
In healthy volunteers without problematic internet use, higher scores on a mood regulation subscale were associated with stronger functional connectivity between brain networks involved in emotion and cognitive control—specifically the salience, central executive, and default mode networks—and with weaker connectivity between the default mode and frontoparietal networks. These patterns are opposite to those seen in problematic internet use, suggesting that non-problematic internet use may support healthy emotion regulation through distinct brain connectivity changes.