Dopamine release in ventral striatum of pathological gamblers losing money
Abstract
Linnet J, Peterson E, Doudet DJ, Gjedde A, Møller A. Dopamine release in ventral striatum of pathological gamblers losing money. Objective: To investigate dopaminergic neurotransmission in relation to monetary reward and punishment in pathological gambling. Pathological gamblers (PG) often continue gambling despite losses, known as ‘chasing one’s losses’. We therefore hypothesized that losing money would be associated with increased dopamine release in the ventral striatum of PG compared with healthy controls (HC). Method: We used Positron Emission Tomography (PET) with [11 C]raclopride to measure dopamine release in the ventral striatum of 16 PG and 15 HC playing the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT). Results: PG who lost money had significantly increased dopamine release in the left ventral striatum compared with HC. PG and HC who won money did not differ in dopamine release. Conclusion: Our findings suggest a dopaminergic basis of monetary losses in pathological gambling, which might explain loss‐chasing behavior. The findings may have implications for the understanding of dopamine dysfunctions and impaired decision‐making in pathological gambling and substance‐related addictions.
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Problem gamblers exhibited increased dopamine release in their ventral striatum compared to healthy controls when they lost money in a gambling task.
“A study by Linnet and colleagues found that problem gamblers exhibited increased dopamine release in their ventral striatum compared to healthy controls when they lost money in a gambling task, implying that loss has come to generate motivation in problem gamblers (Linnet, Peterson, Doudet, Gjedde, & Møller, 2010).”
From Cued for Risk: Evidence for an Incentive Sensitization Framework to Explain the Interplay between Stress and Anxiety, Substance Abuse, and Reward Uncertainty in Disordered Gambling Behavior (2019) · cites this paper as Linnet, Peterson, Doudet, Gjedde, & Møller, 2010
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- Authors
- Linnet, J., Peterson, E., Doudet, D. J., Gjedde, A., & Møller, A.
- Affiliations
- Aarhus University (DK)
- University of British Columbia (CA)
- Corresponding author
- Linnet, J.
- Venue
- Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2010-08-15
- Volume
- 122
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 326-333
- ISSN
- 0001-690X (ISSN-L)
- 1600-0447
- OpenAlex
- W1910771232
- Cited by
- 127
- References
- 56
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 12 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 13 · 2014: 13 · 2013: 23 · 2012: 12
- FWCI
- 13.66
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- University of Southern Denmark Research Portal (University of Southern Denmark) (publishedVersion)
- Research at the University of Copenhagen (University of Copenhagen) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Center for Responsible Gaming
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Gambling Behavior and Treatments
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Keywords
- gambling addiction, dopamine release, ventral striatum, financial losses, monetary rewards, punishment, Iowa Gambling Task, decision-making, dopaminergic dysfunction
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Basal Ganglia, Dopamine, Gambling, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Punishment, Reward, Task Performance and Analysis, Substance-Related Disorders, Positron-Emission Tomography, Young Adult
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