A German study was conducted recently trying to sort out the reason why 1% to 2% of adults find themselves addicted to gambling. Twelve pathological gamblers were brain scanned while playing a computer gambling game programmed to create an undulating setting of winnings and loses and compared to twelve healthy individuals.
The results of the study suggest that pathological gamblers were bereft of satisfactory sensation when winning. This was due to the detection of diminished activity in the dopamine-producing brain region that is responsible for the pleasure in winning. In addition, the area of prefrontal cortex – where brain's superego resides, has shown decreased activation, which explains the impulsivity of pathological gamblers.
The gambling individuals were found to be more strongly predisposed to their long nights at the slots as suggested by the findings, reported in the online edition of Natural Neuroscience . One of the possibilities inferred from this study is that the brain differences, detected by scanning, at least in some cases are more the result rather than the cause of an excessive gambling.
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| Source: gamblingsmart news staff
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Sunday, 16 January 2005 |
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