Pathological gambling is linked to reduced activation of the mesolimbic reward system

Reuter, J.H.; Raedler, Thomas J.; Rose, Michael; Hand, Iver; Gläscher, Jan; Büchel, Christian

doi:10.1038/nn1378

Cited by 666 publications

(515 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…Evidence on the neurochemical mediators of the rewarding or reinforcing effects of gambling activity itself has just begun to emerge. Recent fMRI research found that a gambling-like guessing game with monetary rewards activates the mesolimbic reward system in pathological gamblers and controls (Reuter et al, 2005). This study found that mesolimbic activation induced by the game was lower in gamblers than in controls, and the more severe the gambling pathology, the weaker the gameinduced activation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 51%

A D2 Antagonist Enhances the Rewarding and Priming Effects of a Gambling Episode in Pathological Gamblers

Zack

Poulos

2007

Neuropsychopharmacol

155

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Previous research indicated shared neurochemical substrates for gambling and psychostimulant reward. This suggests that dopamine substrates may directly govern the reinforcement process in pathological gambling. To investigate this issue, the present study assessed the effects of the relatively selective dopamine D2 antagonist, haloperidol (3 mg, oral) on responses to actual gambling (15 min on a slot machine) in 20 non-comorbid pathological gamblers and 18 non-gambler controls in a placebo-controlled, double-blind, counterbalanced design. In gamblers, haloperidol significantly increased self-reported rewarding effects of gambling, post-game priming of desire to gamble, facilitation of reading speed to Gambling words, and gambling-induced elevation in blood pressure. In controls, haloperidol augmented gambling-induced elevation in blood pressure, but had no effect on other indices. The findings provide direct experimental evidence that the D2 substrate modulates gambling reinforcement in pathological gamblers.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 51%

A D2 Antagonist Enhances the Rewarding and Priming Effects of a Gambling Episode in Pathological Gamblers

Zack

Poulos

2007

Neuropsychopharmacol

155

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…For example, problem gamblers may be hyposensitive to non-reward/punishment (e.g., Reuter et al, 2005) and thus, the repeated detrimental losses experienced are not perceived to be averse; they may be hypersensitive to reward (e.g., Hewig et al, 2010;Oberg et al, 2011) and pursue wins at the expense of high costs; or they may be hyposensitive to reward (e.g., Blum et al, 2000) and engage in thrill-seeking behaviour (such as trying to obtain large wins) in order to reach the same level of excitement associated with smaller wins in non-problem gamblers.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Can event-related potentials serve as neural markers for wins, losses, and near-wins in a gambling task? A principal components analysis

Lole

Gonsalvez

Barry

et al. 2013

International Journal of Psychophysiology

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Originally, the feedback related negativity (FRN) event-related potential (ERP) component was considered to be a robust neural correlate of non-reward/punishment processing, with greater negative deflections observed following unfavourable outcomes. More recently, it has been suggested that this component is better conceptualised as a positive deflection following rewarding outcomes. The current study sought to elucidate the nature of the FRN, as well as another component associated with incentive-value processing, the P3b, through application of a spatiotemporal principal components analysis (PCA). Seventeen healthy controls played a computer electronic gaming machine (EGM) task and received feedback on credits won or lost on each trial, and ERPs were recorded. The distribution of reward/non-reward outcomes closely matched that of a real EGM, with frequent losses, and infrequent wins and near-wins. The PCA revealed that feedback elicited both a frontally maximal negative deflection to losses, and a positive deflection to wins (which was also sensitive to reward magnitude), implying that the neural generator/s of the FRN are differentially activated following these outcomes. As expected, greater P3b amplitudes were found for wins compared to losses. Interestingly, near-wins elicited significantly smaller FRN amplitudes than losses (with no differences in P3b amplitude), and may contribute to the maintenance of gambling behaviours on EGMs. The results of the current study are integrated into a response profile of healthy controls to outcomes of varying incentive value. This may provide a foundation for the future examination of individuals who exhibit abnormalities in reward/ punishment processing, such as problem gamblers. The PCA revealed that feedback elicited both a frontally maximal negative deflection to losses, and a positive deflection to wins (which was also sensitive to reward magnitude), implying that the neural generator/s of the FRN are differentially activated following these outcomes. As expected, greater P3b amplitudes were found for wins compared to losses.Interestingly, near-wins elicited significantly smaller FRN amplitudes than losses (with no differences in P3b amplitude), and may contribute to the maintenance of gambling behaviours on EGMs. The results of the current study are integrated into a response profile of healthy controls to outcomes of varying incentive value. This may provide a foundation for the future examination of individuals who exhibit abnormalities in reward/punishment processing, such as problem gamblers.

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“…Interestingly, human imaging studies reveal an underlying disruption in the reward systems in addictive behaviours including binge eating and alcohol dependence (Volkow et al, 2003;Volkow and Li, 2004;Reuter et al, 2005). Moreover, a co-morbidity of addictive behaviours is well documented, where alcohol-use disorder is frequent in the anorexia nervosa binge eating subtype and in individuals with bulimia nervosa (Henzel, 1984;Bulik et al, 1992).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The alcohol-induced locomotor stimulation and accumbal dopamine release is suppressed in ghrelin knockout mice

Jerlhag

Landgren

Egecioglu

et al. 2011

Alcohol

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Pathological gambling is linked to reduced activation of the mesolimbic reward system

Cited by 666 publications

References 14 publications

A D2 Antagonist Enhances the Rewarding and Priming Effects of a Gambling Episode in Pathological Gamblers

A D2 Antagonist Enhances the Rewarding and Priming Effects of a Gambling Episode in Pathological Gamblers

Can event-related potentials serve as neural markers for wins, losses, and near-wins in a gambling task? A principal components analysis

The alcohol-induced locomotor stimulation and accumbal dopamine release is suppressed in ghrelin knockout mice

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