In a study published last week in the influential scientific journal Neuropsychopharmacology, researchers at the University of British Columbia reported that rats were able to successfully learn to “play the odds” in a gambling task, modeling human gambling behavior.
According to the Vancouver Sun, Dr. Catharine Winstanley, one of the study’s authors, called the study “an important first step in offering clues into what neurotransmitters or what brain chemicals are involved in regulating gambling behavior.” In 2006, Winstanley received a grant of $57,500 from the National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG) to help fund this research.
During the task, the rats were able to choose from four options that differed in the probability and magnitude of food rewards and timeouts (i.e., penalty periods during which no food would be dispensed). High-stake options offered more sugar pellets, but choosing the high-stakes options also was more likely to trigger longer timeouts. According to the study, rats learned how to be “successful” gamblers, selecting the option with the optimum level of risk and reward to maximize their sugar pellet profits over time.
The study also found the rats’ decision-making became significantly impaired in the gambling task when they were treated with drugs that affected the levels of dopamine and serotonin—two neurotransmitters in the brain implicated in impulse control and drug addiction. According to the study, this suggests a role for these neurochemicals in moderating gambling behavior and a potential method of researching new leads for the treatment of gambling disorders.
Dr. Marc Potenza of Yale University described the study to BBC News as “a significant step forward” that could eventually lead to new treatments for disordered gambling.
More information about research on gambling disorders is available through the NCRG’s Web site (www.ncrg.org) and through the Web site of the Institute for Research on Gambling Disorders (www.gamblingdisorders.org), the independent program of the NCRG charged with making research grants.
