<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width="100%">http://www.blogator.com/go.php?i=835862</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top width=532 height=42>
An abnormal craving for pleasurable stimulation, combinedwith a lack of impulse control, may explain why some people become pathologicalgamblers, a German study suggests.
Scientists have long theorized that some people get addicted to drugs because their brains are relatively unreactive to dopamine, a brain chemical that offers mostpeople a constant, low-level sense of reward. Hungry for the positive signals thatothers get from routine activities, these people turn to dopamine-stimulating drugssuch as cocaine, the theory goes.
To see if similar abnormalities might explain why 1 per cent to 2 per cent of adultsend up addicted to gambling, Christian Buchel, of University HospitalHamburg-Eppendorf, conducted brain scans on 12 pathological gamblers (people whoserelationships, finances and social status are negatively affected by gambling) andcompared them with 12 healthy counterparts. The scans tracked brain activity whilethe participants played a gambling game programmed to create a string of wins andlosses.
Compared with the controls, the pathological gamblers showed a lower level ofactivity in the ventral striatum, the dopamine-producing brain region that providesthe pleasure in winning, suggesting gamblers remain unsatisfied even when winning.The scans also showed decreased activation of the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex ——the brain’s ‘‘superego,’’ which keeps people from acting impulsively.
The findings, reported in Sunday’s online edition of Nature Neuroscience, suggestthat pathological gamblers are predisposed to their long nights at the slots. It’spossible, said Buchel, that at least some of the brain differences are the result ——rather than the cause —— of so much gambling. Sorting that out will require long-termstudies —— a difficult proposition, he said, because pathological gamblers tend notto show up for study appointments
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An abnormal craving for pleasurable stimulation, combinedwith a lack of impulse control, may explain why some people become pathologicalgamblers, a German study suggests.
Scientists have long theorized that some people get addicted to drugs because their brains are relatively unreactive to dopamine, a brain chemical that offers mostpeople a constant, low-level sense of reward. Hungry for the positive signals thatothers get from routine activities, these people turn to dopamine-stimulating drugssuch as cocaine, the theory goes.
To see if similar abnormalities might explain why 1 per cent to 2 per cent of adultsend up addicted to gambling, Christian Buchel, of University HospitalHamburg-Eppendorf, conducted brain scans on 12 pathological gamblers (people whoserelationships, finances and social status are negatively affected by gambling) andcompared them with 12 healthy counterparts. The scans tracked brain activity whilethe participants played a gambling game programmed to create a string of wins andlosses.
Compared with the controls, the pathological gamblers showed a lower level ofactivity in the ventral striatum, the dopamine-producing brain region that providesthe pleasure in winning, suggesting gamblers remain unsatisfied even when winning.The scans also showed decreased activation of the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex ——the brain’s ‘‘superego,’’ which keeps people from acting impulsively.
The findings, reported in Sunday’s online edition of Nature Neuroscience, suggestthat pathological gamblers are predisposed to their long nights at the slots. It’spossible, said Buchel, that at least some of the brain differences are the result ——rather than the cause —— of so much gambling. Sorting that out will require long-termstudies —— a difficult proposition, he said, because pathological gamblers tend notto show up for study appointments
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