The modulation of acute stress on model-free and model-based reinforcement learning in gambling disorder

Abstract

Background and aims: Experiencing acute stress is common in behavioral addictions such as gambling disorder. Additionally, like most substance-induced addictions, aberrant decision-making wherein a reactive habit-induced response (conceptualized as a Model-free [MF] in reinforcement learning) suppresses a flexible goal-directed response (conceptualized as a Model-based [MB]) is also common in gambling disorder. In the current study we investigated the influence of acute stress on the balance between habitual response and the goal-directed system. Methods: A sample of N 5 116 problem gamblers (PG) and healthy controls (HC) performed an acute stress taskthe Socially Evaluated Cold pressure task (SECPT)or a control task. Self-reported stress and salivary cortisol were collected as measures of acute stress. Following the SECPT, participants performed the Two-Step Markov Task to account for the relative contribution of MB and MF strategies. Additionally, verbal working memory and IQ measures were collected to account for their mediating effects on the orchestration between MB/MF and the impact of stress. Results: Both groups had comparable baseline and stress-induced cortisol response to the SECPT. Non-stressed PG displayed lower MB learning than HC. MANOVA and regression analyses showed a deleterious effect of stress-induced cortisol response on the orchestration between MB and MF learning in HC but not in PG. These effects remained when controlling for working memory and IQ. Discussion and Conclusions: We found an abnormal pattern of modulation of stress on the orchestration between MB and MF learning among PG. Several interpretations and future research directions are discussed.

Modulation of Neural Correlates of Model-based Performance with Impulsivity and Compulsivity

“…Shifts towards MF learning can lead to suboptimal choice outcomes, and alterations in the balance between MF and MB control have been observed in various mental disorders, e.g. substance use disorder (SUD) 4,5 , schizophrenia 6 , gambling disorder 7 , anorexia nervosa 8 , or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) 9,10 . This diversity of patient groups, along with observed changes in MF and MB control in non-clinical samples 11 , suggests that dysfunction in goal-directed behavior may reflect common underlying mechanisms.…”

Temporal dynamics of model-based control reveal arbitration between multiple task representations

“…However, an aspect that has been uninterrogated by previous studies is how people construct and select representations for model-based control. Although extensive studies have established relations between model-based control and other cognitive functions (Hunter, Bornstein, and Hartley, 2018;Gillan et al, 2016;Vikbladh et al, 2019), as well as its sensitivity to stress (Wyckmans et al, 2022;Park, Lee, and Chey, 2017), and dependence on working memory capacity (Otto et al, 2013a,b) and episodic memory manipulations (Vikbladh, Shohamy, and Daw, 2017), how people decide to represent this structure remains unexplored. There are several reasons that could contribute to this gap.…”