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Ruth J Van Holst - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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increased striatal dopamine synthesis capacity in Gambling Addiction
Biological Psychiatry, 2017Co-Authors: Ruth J Van Holst, Guillaume Sescousse, Lieneke Janssen, Marcel J R Janssen, Anne S Berry, William J Jagust, Roshan CoolsAbstract:Abstract Background The hypothesis that dopamine plays an important role in the pathophysiology of pathological Gambling is pervasive. However, there is little to no direct evidence for a categorical difference between pathological gamblers and healthy control subjects in terms of dopamine transmission in a drug-free state. Here we provide evidence for this hypothesis by comparing dopamine synthesis capacity in the dorsal and ventral parts of the striatum in 13 pathological gamblers and 15 healthy control subjects. Methods This was achieved using [18F]fluoro-levo-dihydroxyphenylalanine dynamic positron emission tomography scans and striatal regions of interest that were hand-drawn based on visual inspection of individual structural magnetic resonance imaging scans. Results Our results show that dopamine synthesis capacity was increased in pathological gamblers compared with healthy control subjects. Dopamine synthesis was 16% higher in the caudate body, 17% higher in the dorsal putamen, and 17% higher in the ventral striatum in pathological gamblers compared with control subjects. Moreover, dopamine synthesis capacity in the dorsal putamen and caudate head was positively correlated with Gambling distortions in pathological gamblers. Conclusions Taken together, these results provide empirical evidence for increased striatal dopamine synthesis in pathological Gambling.
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alterations in the emotional regulation process in Gambling Addiction the role of anger and alexithymia
Journal of Gambling Studies, 2017Co-Authors: Giuseppe Maniaci, Francesca Picone, Ruth J Van Holst, Corinna Bolloni, Silvana Scardina, Carla CannizzaroAbstract:This study aims at the assessment of alexithymia and anger levels in 100 treatment-seeking pathological gamblers compared with controls, who were matched for age, gender and education. Furthermore a positive correlation between alexithymia, anger and severity of Gambling disorder and a relationship between Gambling behaviour and anger after controlling for alexithymia, are investigated. Finally the role that gender plays in anger in pathological gamblers was also evaluated. Psychological assessment includes the South Oaks Gambling Screen, State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-2 and the twenty-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale. Statistical analysis of the results shows a higher level of anger in pathological gamblers than in controls, together with alterations in emotional processing. Severity of Gambling behaviour positively correlates with alexithymia scores, state-anger and trait-anger. Moreover, a significant contribution of anger in predicting Gambling behaviour was suggested after controlling for alexithymia. In conclusion, anger and alexithymia must be regarded as relevant components of the assessment of pathological gamblers, in order to select the best therapeutical strategies to prevent self-defeating behaviours and to reduce drop-out from treatments.
Jan Peters - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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a potential link between Gambling Addiction severity and central dopamine levels evidence from spontaneous eye blink rates
Scientific Reports, 2018Co-Authors: David Mathar, Antonius Wiehler, Jan Peters, Karima Chakroun, D GoltzAbstract:Accumulating evidence points at similarities between substance use disorders (SUD) and Gambling disorder on the behavioral and neural level. In SUD, attenuation of striatal D2/3-receptor availability is a consistent finding, at least for stimulating substances. For Gambling disorder, no clear association with striatal D2/3-receptor availability has been unveiled so far. With its presumably negligible dopaminergic toxicity, possible differences in receptor availability in Gambling disorder might constitute a vulnerability marker. Spontaneous eye blink rate (sEBR) is discussed as a potential proxy measure for striatal dopamine D2/3-receptor availability. Here we examined sEBR in 21 male problem gamblers and 20 healthy control participants. In addition, participants completed a screening questionnaire for overall psychopathology and self-reported measures of alcohol and nicotine consumption. We found no significant difference in sEBR between gamblers and controls. However, in gamblers, sEBR was negatively associated with Gambling severity and positively associated with psychopathology. A final exploratory analysis revealed that healthy controls with low sEBR displayed higher alcohol and nicotine consumption than healthy participants with high sEBR. Although the exact association between dopamine transmission and sEBR is still debated, our findings reveal that sEBR is sensitive to inter-individual differences in Gambling disorder severity in problem gamblers.
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a potential link between Gambling Addiction severity and central dopamine levels evidence from spontaneous eye blink rates in gamblers and controls
bioRxiv, 2017Co-Authors: David Mathar, Antonius Wiehler, Karima Chakroun, D Goltz, Jan PetersAbstract:Accumulating evidence points at similarities between substance use disorders and pathological Gambling on the behavioral and neural level. In substance Addiction, dysregulation of striatal dopamine transmission has been consistently revealed. Due to the neurotoxicity of stimulating substances, it is still debated if this constitutes mainly a consequence of recurrent substance abuse or a vulnerability marker for Addiction disorders. For Gambling Addiction, no clear association with striatal dopamine levels has been unveiled so far. With its presumably negligible dopaminergic toxicity, possible differences in striatal dopamine transmission in Gambling Addiction might therefore constitute a vulnerability marker. Spontaneous eye blink rate (sEBR) is controversially discussed as a potential proxy measure for striatal dopamine levels. Here we examined sEBR in 21 male problem gamblers and 20 healthy control participants. In addition, participants completed a screening questionnaire for overall psychopathology and self-reported measures of alcohol and nicotine consumption. We found no significant difference in sEBR between gamblers and controls. However, in gamblers, sEBR was negatively associated with Addiction severity and positively associated with psychopathology. A final exploratory analysis revealed that healthy controls with low sEBR displayed higher alcohol and nicotine consumption than healthy participants with high sEBR. Although the association between dopamine transmission and sEBR is still debated, our findings reveal that sEBR is sensitive to inter-individual differences in Addiction severity in problem gamblers.
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the role of prospection in steep temporal reward discounting in Gambling Addiction
Frontiers in Psychiatry, 2015Co-Authors: Antonius Wiehler, Uli Bromberg, Jan PetersAbstract:Addiction and pathological Gambling (PG) have been consistently associated with high impulsivity and a steep devaluation of delayed rewards, a process that is known as temporal discounting (TD). Recent studies indicated that enhanced episodic future thinking (EFT) results in less impulsive TD in healthy controls (HC). In a separate line of research, it has been suggested that non-linearities in time perception might contribute to reward devaluation during inter-temporal choice. Therefore, in addition to deficits in valuation processes and executive control, impairments in EFT and non-linearities in time perception have been hypothesized to contribute to steep TD in Addiction. In this study, we explore such a potential association of impairments in EFT and time perception with steep TD in PG. We investigated 20 PGs and 20 matched HCs. TD was assessed via a standard computerized binary choice task. We measured EFT using a variation of the Autobiographical Memory Interview by Levine et al. (1). Time perception was assessed with a novel task, utilizing a non-linear rating procedure via circle-size adjustments. Groups did not differ in baseline EFT. In both groups, a power law accounted time perception best, and the degree of non-linearity in time perception correlated with discounting across groups. A multiple regression analysis across all predictors and covariates revealed that only group status (PG/HC) and depression were significantly associated with discounting behavior such that PG increased TD and depression attenuated TD. Our findings speak against the idea that steep TD in PG is due to a skewed perception of time or impairments in EFT, at least under the present task conditions. The lack of overall group differences in EFT does not rule out the possibility of more complex interactions of EFT and decision-making. These interactions might be diminished in pathological Gambling or Addiction more generally, when other task configurations are used.
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the role of prospection in steep temporal reward discounting in Gambling Addiction
Frontiers in Psychiatry, 2015Co-Authors: Antonius Wiehler, Uli Bromberg, Jan PetersAbstract:Addiction and pathological Gambling (PG) have been consistently associated with high impulsivity and a steep devaluation of delayed rewards, a process that is known as temporal discounting (TD). Recent studies indicated that enhanced episodic future thinking (EFT) results in less impulsive TD in healthy controls (HCs). In a separate line of research, it has been suggested that non-linearities in time perception might contribute to reward devaluation during inter-temporal choice. Therefore, in addition to deficits in valuation processes and executive control, impairments in EFT and non-linearities in time perception have been hypothesized to contribute to steep TD in Addiction. In this study, we explore such a potential association of impairments in EFT and time perception with steep TD in PG. We investigated 20 PGs and 20 matched HCs. TD was assessed via a standard computerized binary choice task. EFT was measured using a variation of the Autobiographical Memory Interview by Levine et al. (1). Time perception was assessed with a novel task, utilizing a non-linear rating procedure via circle-size adjustments. Groups did not differ in baseline EFT. In both groups, a power law accounted time perception best, and the degree of non-linearity in time perception correlated with discounting across groups. A multiple regression analysis across all predictors and covariates revealed that only group status (PG/HC) and depression were significantly associated with discounting behavior such that PG increased TD and depression attenuated TD. Our findings speak against the idea that steep TD in PG is due to a skewed perception of time or impairments in EFT, at least under the present task conditions. The lack of overall group differences in EFT does not rule out the possibility of more complex interactions of EFT and decision-making. These interactions might be diminished in pathological Gambling or Addiction more generally, when other task configurations are used.
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cue induced craving increases impulsivity via changes in striatal value signals in problem gamblers
The Journal of Neuroscience, 2014Co-Authors: Jan Peters, Stephan F Miedl, Christian BuchelAbstract:Impulsive behavior such as steep temporal discounting is a hallmark of Addiction and is associated with relapse. In pathological gamblers, discounting may be further increased by the presence of Gambling-related cues in the environment, but the extent to which the Gambling relatedness of task settings affects reward responses in Gambling Addiction is debated. In the present study, human problem gamblers made choices between immediate rewards and individually tailored larger-but-later rewards while visual Gambling-related scenes were presented in the background. N = 17 participants were scanned using fMRI, whereas N = 5 additional participants completed a behavioral version of the task. Postscan craving ratings were acquired for each image, and behavioral and neuroimaging data were analyzed separately for high- and low-craving trials (median split analysis). Discounting was steeper for high versus low craving trials. Neuroimaging revealed a positive correlation with model-based subjective value in midbrain and striatum in low-craving trials that was reversed in high-craving trials. These findings reveal a modulation of striatal reward responses in gamblers by Addiction-related cues, and highlight a potentially important mechanism that may contribute to relapse. Cue-induced changes in striatal delayed reward signals may lead to increased discounting of future rewards, which might in turn affect the likelihood of relapse.
Donald E Nowak - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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a meta analytical synthesis and examination of pathological and problem Gambling rates and associated moderators among college students 1987 2016
Journal of Gambling Studies, 2018Co-Authors: Donald E NowakAbstract:The problem of Gambling Addiction is especially noteworthy among college students, many of whom have the resources, proximity, free time, and desire to become involved in the myriad options of Gambling now available. Although limited attention has been paid specifically to college student Gambling in the body of literature, there have been three published meta-analyses estimating the prevalence of probable pathological Gambling among college students. The research presented is the largest and most comprehensive, presenting an up-to-date proportion of those students worldwide exhibiting Gambling pathology as assessed by the South Oaks Gambling Screen, and is the first to include estimates of sub-clinical problem Gambling. A thorough literature review and coding procedure resulted in 124 independent data estimates retrieved from 72 studies conducted between 1987 and the present, surveying 41,989 university students worldwide. The estimated proportion of probable pathological gamblers among students was computed at 6.13%, while the rate of problem Gambling was computed at 10.23%. Statistical significance was found in the influence of the percentage of non-white students on pathological Gambling rates. The implications of this and other moderator analyses such as age and year of studies, as well as recommendations for future practice in dealing with college students and Gambling disorder on campus are outlined and described in detail. Suggestions and rationales for future avenues of research in the area are also described.
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the prevalence of pathological Gambling among college students a meta analytic synthesis 2005 2013
Journal of Gambling Studies, 2014Co-Authors: Donald E Nowak, Ariel M AloeAbstract:The problem of Gambling Addiction can be especially noteworthy among college and university students, many of whom have the resources, proximity, free time, and desire to become involved in the myriad options of Gambling now available. Although limited attention has been paid specifically to college student Gambling in the body of literature, there have been two published meta-analyses estimating the prevalence of probable pathological Gambling among college students. This present study aims to be the third, presenting an up-to-date proportion of those students exhibiting Gambling pathology, and is the first to include international studies from outside the United States and Canada. The purpose of this study was to use the most up-to-date meta-analytical procedures to synthesize the rates of probable pathological Gambling for college and university students worldwide. A thorough literature review and coding procedure resulted in 19 independent data estimates retrieved from 18 studies conducted between 2005 and 2013. To synthesize the studies, a random effects model for meta-analysis was applied. The estimated proportion of probable pathological gamblers among the over 13,000 college students surveyed was computed at 10.23%, considerably higher than either of the two previously published meta-analyses, and more than double the rate reported in the first meta-analysis of this type published in 1999. Implications and recommendations for future practice in dealing with college students and Gambling Addiction are outlined and described for both administrators and mental health professionals.
Roshan Cools - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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increased striatal dopamine synthesis capacity in Gambling Addiction
Biological Psychiatry, 2017Co-Authors: Ruth J Van Holst, Guillaume Sescousse, Lieneke Janssen, Marcel J R Janssen, Anne S Berry, William J Jagust, Roshan CoolsAbstract:Abstract Background The hypothesis that dopamine plays an important role in the pathophysiology of pathological Gambling is pervasive. However, there is little to no direct evidence for a categorical difference between pathological gamblers and healthy control subjects in terms of dopamine transmission in a drug-free state. Here we provide evidence for this hypothesis by comparing dopamine synthesis capacity in the dorsal and ventral parts of the striatum in 13 pathological gamblers and 15 healthy control subjects. Methods This was achieved using [18F]fluoro-levo-dihydroxyphenylalanine dynamic positron emission tomography scans and striatal regions of interest that were hand-drawn based on visual inspection of individual structural magnetic resonance imaging scans. Results Our results show that dopamine synthesis capacity was increased in pathological gamblers compared with healthy control subjects. Dopamine synthesis was 16% higher in the caudate body, 17% higher in the dorsal putamen, and 17% higher in the ventral striatum in pathological gamblers compared with control subjects. Moreover, dopamine synthesis capacity in the dorsal putamen and caudate head was positively correlated with Gambling distortions in pathological gamblers. Conclusions Taken together, these results provide empirical evidence for increased striatal dopamine synthesis in pathological Gambling.
Mark D Griffiths - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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exploring the public s perception of Gambling Addiction on twitter during the covid 19 pandemic topic modelling and sentiment analysis
Journal of Addictive Diseases, 2021Co-Authors: Emanuele Fino, Bishoy Hannakhalil, Mark D GriffithsAbstract:The present study explored the topics and sentiment associated with Gambling Addiction during the COVID-19 pandemic, using topic modeling and sentiment analysis on tweets in English posted between 17-24th April 2020. The study was exploratory in nature, with its main objective consisting of inductively identifying topics embedded in user-generated content. We found that a five-topic model was the best in representing the data corpus, including: (i) the public's perception of Gambling Addiction amid the COVID-19 outbreak, (ii) risks and support available for those who stay at home, (iii) the users' interpretation of Gambling Addiction, (iv) forms of Gambling during the pandemic, and (v) Gambling advertising and impact on families. Sentiment analysis showed a prevalence of underlying fear, trust, sadness, and anger, across the corpus. Users viewed the pandemic as a driver of problematic Gambling behaviors, possibly exposing unprepared individuals and communities to forms of online Gambling, with potential long-term consequences and a significant impact on health systems. Despite the limitations of the study, we hypothesize that enhancing the presence of mental health operators and practitioners treating problem Gambling on social media might positively impact public mental health and help prevent health services from being overwhelmed, in times when healthcare resources are limited.
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Why Some Sports Bettors Think Gambling Addiction Prevented Them from Becoming Winners? A Qualitative Approach to Understanding the Role of Knowledge in Sports Betting Products
Journal of Gambling Studies, 2020Co-Authors: Hibai Lopez-gonzalez, Mark D Griffiths, Ana EstévezAbstract:Sports betting products rely upon a balance between their knowledge and chance based structural characteristics. The emphasis by bookmakers on mastering the knowledge-based elements to become winners poses significant challenges for those seeking help for Gambling disorder. Bettors find difficulties in integrating their preconceptions about the role of knowledge and skills in winning, into the new cognitive restructuring fostered by cognitive-behavioural therapy. Using a grounded theory approach, this study collected data from 43 Spanish sports bettors undergoing treatment for Gambling disorder. The results suggest sports bettors neutralize some Gambling-related cognitive distortions during CBT but retain others. Sports bettors try to eliminate them but encounter external validation to retain them, as well as internal incongruences to integrate them into a coherent understanding of how Gambling works. The results are discussed with the aim of providing practical guidance as to how skill versus chance related persistent cognitions can be addressed in CBT.
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contextualising over engagement in work towards a more global understanding of workaholism as an Addiction
Journal of behavioral addictions, 2012Co-Authors: Mark D Griffiths, M KaranikamurrayAbstract:Purpose Despite increasing empirical research into workaholism, no single definition or conceptualisation has emerged, and current understandings of workaholism are arguably problematic. The primary purpose of this paper is to clarify some of these issues, by defining and contextualising over-engagement in work that leads to severe negative consequences (i.e., workaholism) as a genuine behavioural Addiction. Approach By conceptualising work behaviours as manifestations of behavioural engagement and placing them on a continuum from withdrawal/under-engagement (e.g., persistent absenteeism) to over-engagement (e.g., work conflicting with all other activity), this paper argues that workaholism is an extreme negative aspect of behavioural engagement. It then examines the extent to which workaholism can be viewed as a genuine Addiction by using criteria applied to other more traditional behavioural Addictions (e.g., Gambling Addiction, exercise Addiction), before briefly outlining an approach towards a more global understanding of workaholism. Findings The framework presented here helps to contextualise over-engagement to work as a genuine Addiction. It presents more comprehensive understanding of workaholism that takes into account the individual factors of the employee, situational factors of the working environment, and structural factors of the work activity itself. It provides theoretically derived links between workaholism and other work behaviours that can be empirically demonstrated. Practical implications Viewing workaholism as an Addiction that comprises extreme and prolonged behavioural over-engagement can be invaluable for promoting healthy work engagement. A clearer understanding of the underpinnings of workaholism can allow for a better assessment and management by practitioners. Originality/value This paper is one the first to contextualise workaholism in relation to other work behaviours, conceptualise it as a genuine behavioural Addiction, and to apply clinical criteria for Addiction to understand workaholism as prolonged and extreme behavioural engagement.
