The Bangor Gambling Task: Characterising the Performance of Survivors of Traumatic Brain Injury

Abstract

The Bangor Gambling Task (BGT, Bowman & Turnbull, 2004) is a simple test of emotion-based decision making, with contingencies varying across five blocks of 20 trials. This is the first study to characterise BGT performance in survivors of traumatic brain injury (TBI) relative to healthy controls. The study also aimed to explore sub-groups (cluster analysis), and identify predictors of task performance (multiple regression). Thirty survivors of TBI and thirty-nine controls completed the BGT and measures of processing speed, pre-morbid IQ, working memory, and executive function. Results showed that survivors of TBI made more gamble choices than controls (total BGT score), although the groups did not significantly differ when using a cut-off score for ‘impaired’ performance. Unexpectedly, the groups did not significantly differ in their performance across the blocks; however, the cluster analysis revealed three subgroups (with survivors of TBI and controls represented in each cluster). Findings also indicated that only age and group were significant predictors of overall BGT performance. In conclusion, the study findings are consistent with an individual difference account of emotion-based decision making, and a number of issues need to be addressed prior to recommending the clinical use of the BGT.

Traumatic brain injuries and problem gambling in youth: Evidence from a population-based study of secondary students in Ontario, Canada

“…Similarly, a recent case-control study by Bhatti et al [28] found that prior TBI was a significant predictor of subsequent gambling problems, particularly among middle-aged men, those who reported alcohol or tobacco use, and those who experienced multiple TBIs. The link between TBI and gambling is also supported by recent neurological research [29] and animal research [30].…”

“…Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is caused by a blow to the head by an external force, or sudden movement, that can lead to serious long-term consequences [18][19][20]. TBI is a common form of injury that can result in changes in behavior, emotion and/or cognitive function [27][28][29]. Individuals reporting past TBI are also more likely to report substance misuse, aggressive behaviors, and mental health and substance use problems [21][22][23][24].…”

“…This is surprising given the evidence suggesting that TBIs are common among adolescents [ 31 ], that problem gambling may have origins in the adolescent years [ 7 , 9 ], and that TBI and gambling share a number of comorbidities (e.g., substance abuse, depression). Interestingly we did find reports of poor performance on gambling-based decision making tasks in adults [ 29 , 30 ] and in youth [ 32 ], and gambling is mentioned as a potential barrier for the treatment of TBI [ 33 ]. Studies of TBI have shown that it is associated with impulsiveness and a variety of negative mental health outcomes including depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation and substance abuse [ 22 , 25 , 34 ], many of which are also comorbid with problem gambling [ 13 – 15 , 35 ].…”

What's New in the Clinical Management of Disorders of Social Cognition?

“…Other facets of social cognition such as the development of social knowledge and morality are particularly relevant to children in whom maturational processes are complicated by the presence of brain injury, as discussed in this volume (Chiasson, Elkaim, Well, Crevier, & Beauchamp, 2017). Social cognition also impinges on behaviour such as the capacity to make effective decisions to enhance prosocial engagement (Adlam, Adams, Turnbull, Yeates, & Gracey, 2017) while inhibiting antisocial urges (Honan, Allen, Fisher, Osborne-Crowley, & McDonald, 2017).…”

Emotion-Based Learning by Iowa and Bangor Gambling Tasks: Similar but not the same?

“…Given that the BGT is simpler to administer than the IGT, it constitutes a promising tool to assess patients with possible prefrontal dysfunction in clinical settings more quicker and easier (Adlam et al, 2017(Adlam et al, , 2009). In addition, the replaceable alternative to measure the same construct opens up new possibilities to investigate changes over time.…”