The Brief Addiction Science Information Source (BASIS)

The WAGER, 8(35) - Biology, Addiction, and Gambling: Searching for Addiction’s Molecular “Switch”

As discussed in preceding WAGERs, gambling tasks activate certain areas of the brain and initiate reward pathway processes. This results in short-term changes in the brain that produce immediate feelings of pleasure. However, recent evidence suggests that repeated engagement in rewarding behaviors might also result in long-term brain changes. These long-term brain changes might contribute to lasting behavioral changes, such as addictive behavior. Nestler, Barrot and Self (2002) recently reviewed the evidence pertaining to the role of the .FosB transcription factor in the development of chemical and behavioral addictions. Transcription factors are proteins that regulate the expression of genes, which... Read more →

The WAGER, 8(34) - Biology, Addiction, and Gambling: Integrating Decision Making into

Neuroanatomical Models of Addiction In preceding issues, our special WAGER series on biology, addiction, and gambling illustrated the importance of the brain’s reward system to the development and maintenance of behavioral addictions. This week’s WAGER focuses on decision making research by Antione Bechara (Bechara, 2003) in the context of its neuroanatomical correlates. Bechara investigates one of the fundamental characteristics of behavioral addictions, an apparent “myopia” for future consequences (i.e., disregard for the health, psychological, and social costs of one’s actions). In our review, we will explain how substance dependence and pathological gambling might in part stem from neuroanatomical deficits in... Read more →

The WAGER, 8(33) - Biology, Addiction, and Gambling: Money Makes the Brain Go Round

Some behaviors, such as sex, eating, or touching unconditionally invoke an emotional reaction in humans. Receiving money also can serve to stimulate motivational forces. Experiments on animals show that physiological incentives activate discrete areas of the brain known to be involved in the dopaminergic reward pathway (Hollerman & Schultz, 1998; Mora, Mogenson, & Rolls, 1977; Ono, Nakamura, Nishijo, & Fukuda, 1986; Schoenbaum, Chiba, & Gallagher, 2000). By examining activation of the reward pathway, researchers hope to determine if money elicits a similar response as behaviors like sex, eating, and touching. Breiter, Aharon et al. (2001) tested subjects to explore the... Read more →

The WAGER, 8(32) - Biology, Addiction, and Gambling: Unraveling Decision-Making

Last week, the WAGER described some neurological correlates of reward-driven behaviors in monkeys (see WAGER 8(31)). Expanding on this topic, this week’s WAGER focuses on a recent study of reward-related decision-making functions in humans. Smith, Dickhaut, McCabe and Pardo (2002) examined human decision-making strategies and biological processes affected by risk, uncertainty, and payoff potential. This study is among the first to link human choice with specific brain activity. Smith et al. recruited nine healthy, right-handed medical students (6 male, mean age 27 years) to participate in their study. The authors monitored participants’ neural activity via Positron Emission Tomography (PET) as... Read more →