Gambling Addiction

Question 1

Gambling: Neuropsychological effects

Answer 1

-Potenza et al-> FMRI of gamblers shows normal response to happy or sad videos but increased activity to gambling videos in regions associated with reward activity
- Crockford et al-> nature or gambling scenes presented to controls VS gamblers + gamblers self- report high levels of craving + enhanced frontal (or ex activity .

Question 2

Dopamine release

Answer 2

-measured dopamine in gamblers during a control task or slot-machine tusk
- increased dopamine released in gambling condition
-pos correlation between severity of gambling + size of dopamine release

Question 3

shopping addiction

Answer 3

-Raab et al-> presented compulsive shoppers with product pictures + prices
- showed much greater nucleus accumbens response in initial presentation for items they later purchased
- when compulsive shoppers bought something they had an extremely higher neural response than controls

Question 4

study on dopamine + gambling-methods

Answer 4

• dopamine release studied with PET Scans during gambling task
• 24 males

Question 5

study on dopamine + gambling -results

Answer 5

• dopamine released in both groups during high + low reward tasks
• No differences in magnitude of dopamine released between pathological gamblers + controls
• In gamblers, dopamine released correlated POs with symptom severity

Question 6

Study on dopamine gambling- conclusions

Answer 6

• dopamine is released during gambling despite outcome
• suggests prediction of reward is sufficient to induce dopaminergic changes
• greater s gambling symptoms associated with greater dopaminergic responses

Question 7

study or dopamine + gambling -discussion

Answer 7

• Basal ganglia dopamine is released during gambling with wins correlating with hedonic measures (pleasure)