Study Shows Chemical Changes in Rats Cause Gambling Behavior
A study by professors from the University of British Columbia and the University of Cambridge determined that rats would favor limited gambling risks, until induced chemical changes resulted in uncontrollably compulsive behavior, like problem gambling. Rata receiving decreased serotonin took high-risk, compulsive gambling choices, while those receiving decreased dopamine took wiser, better-calculated risks.
"Not only have we seen that our rats will gamble, but we've also been able to modulate that behaviour," Professor Catharine Winstanley told BBC News. "This coincides with data we've seen from pathological gamblers, who have been shown to have lower levels of serotonin in their brains."
Winstanley added that the dopamine results also mirrored human experience, as medicines for Parkinson's Disease that stimulate dopamine production have been linked to symptoms of compulsive gambling.
Yale psychiatrist Marc Potenza said establishing a rat model that coresponds to the human one is a significant move forward in the potential treatment of problem gambling.
"There are currently no approved treatments for pathological gambling or any of the other formal impulse control disorders. Having good animal models is vital in their development," Potenza told the BBC.
