How Gambling Hijacks The Brain

Neuroimaging reveals similarities between gambling and cocaine addiction

Much like a drug addict needs more and more drug to elicit the desired effect, pathological gamblers feel the need to bet more and more money to achieve the same ‘high’ they experienced when they first started gambling. Gambling addiction, also called pathological gambling or PG, is now a diagnosable disorder under the DSM—the essential manual of mental disorders. In drug addictions, repeated drug use is associated with physical changes in the brain. In 2012, researchers are Yale University School of Medicine set out to see if the same was true for behavioural addictions, like pathological gambling.

To study this, the researchers created a computer-based gambling ‘game’ to study how the brain responds to different aspects of gambling. Participants—both those who suffer from PG and healthy control participants—played this game while undergoing fMRI—a brain imaging technique that allows researchers to see how the brain processes information in real-time.  Participants are first prompted with a screen telling them how much money they could win in this round of the game. In order to win the money, they must react quickly to a target that appears on the screen; miss it, and you’re out of luck. Unbeknownst to the players, the task is rigged so that they will win ~66% of the time, regardless of how quickly they are able to react.

The point of this research was to look at what different parts of the brain ‘light up’ when people gamble. These regions—what scientists collectively call the reward pathway—are responsible for reward processing and impulse control. When healthy volunteers are presented with the idea that they could win (or lose) a certain amount of money, the prefrontal cortex—a part of the reward pathway—lights up. When pathological gamblers learn about their potential reward, it doesn’t. The prefrontal cortex is also involved when participants find out whether or not they won the money. Again, in healthy participants, we see PFC activation, in PG we don’t. Why is this such an important discovery? The prefrontal cortex—along with other parts of the reward pathway—is responsible for decision making. Over multiple trials, healthy controls think about how often they are winning, and adjust their expectations accordingly; pathological gamblers do not. Even when pathological gamblers have lost in previous trials, decreased activity in the reward pathway indicates that losing was unexpected.

Treatment for PG often involves individual talk therapy and group therapy. Associations like Gamblers Anonymous (GA) can help gamblers regain control of their behaviours and finances.

_________________________________________________________

If you, or someone you love, is struggling with a gambling problem you can call Ontario’s problem gambling helpline at 1-888-230-3505, or visit https://www.problemgambling.ca

Help is available to residents of Hamilton through Alcohol, Drugs & Gambling Services at 1-905-546-3606

#Neuroscience #mentalillness #Gambling #PathologicalGambling #Psychology #Addiction