New UBC study could result in new treatments for problem gamblers

A new study out of the University of British Columbia could lead to improved treatments for people with gambling addiction.

Researchers had 19 people with gambling disorders undergo an MRI brain scan as they looked at a series of gambling-related photos coupled with neutral images. The participants were then asked to rate their craving level associated with each photo.

READ MORE: New research centre tackling gambling opens at UBC

Researchers were then able to compare the problem gamblers’ brain responses to the gambling photos with their brain responses to the neutral images.

The team found that images of slot machines and roulette triggered problem gamblers to experience activity in the frontal cortex and insula, parts of the brain that are linked to craving and self-control in drug addiction.

Study co-author Luke Clark, psychology professor and director of the Centre for Gambling Research at UBC, said the findings reveal the powerful effect of cues in triggering cravings for problem gamblers.

“Everything from the lights and the sounds of the slot machines to the smell of the casino are cues that, even after years of abstinence from gambling, can trigger a craving,” said Clark.

“Being able to control one’s response to these cues is a crucial part of avoiding relapse.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Everything from the lights and the sounds of the slot machines to the smell of the casino are cues that, even after years of abstinence from gambling, can trigger a craving," said Clark.</p><p>"Being able to control one's response to these cues is a crucial part of avoiding relapse."

In a related UBC study done with rats in January 2016, researchers tried to understand the nature of addiction and what it is about gambling that leads to compulsive behaviour in some people.

In that 2016 study, researchers found rats behaved like problem gamblers when both sound and light cues were added to their gambling scenario or “rat casino” model. Further research also found the scientists were able to reverse the behaviour by blocking a specific dopamine receptor. It’s a result, researchers said, that could possibly lay the groundwork for treatment of gambling addictions in humans.

The recent study, which was published in Translational Psychiatry, offers potential for testing new treatments for gambling addictions, according to Clark.

The researchers are now looking at the effectiveness of naltrexone, a medication used to treat alcohol and heroin addiction, to help change these brain responses in problem gamblers.