Problem Gambling News and Research

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Losing money may be intrinsically linked with fear and pain in the brain

In a Wellcome Trust study published in the Journal of Neuroscience, researchers have shown that during a gambling task, losing money activated an area of the brain involved in responding to fear and pain.

2 May 2007

Drugs that adjust dopamine levels in the brain greatly affect how people react to success and failure

In a first-of-its-kind study on humans, researchers measured how dopamine-related drugs affect the striatum, a part of the brain that is stimulated by rewards.

27 Apr 2007

Online gambling adds new risks for gamblers with Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease sufferers could be adversely affected by the growth of betting on the web because they are more likely to become gambling addicts, says a doctor writing in the British Medical Journal.

20 Apr 2007

Problem gambling is an addiction that medical professionals should be aware of

Decisions about building casinos in the UK have not given enough weight to the potential health effects, argue two doctors in this week's BMJ.

20 Apr 2007

New understanding of drug addiction

The reason why some individuals may be predisposed to drug addiction has been discovered by scientists from the universities of Bristol and Cambridge.

1 Mar 2007

Vasectomy and trouble with words

Northwestern University researchers have discovered men with an unusual form of dementia have a higher rate of vasectomy than men the same age who are cognitively normal.

13 Feb 2007

Therapy for restless legs may trigger compulsive gambling

Compulsive gambling with extreme losses -- in two cases, greater than $100,000 -- by people without a prior history of gambling problems has been linked to a class of drugs commonly used to treat the neurological disorder restless legs syndrome (RLS).

11 Feb 2007

Gambling addiction and its treatment within the NHS

In its hard-hitting report, Gambling addiction and its treatment within the NHS, the BMA is calling for gambling to be a recognised addiction that requires treatment on the NHS.

16 Jan 2007

Children of alcoholics bear the scars for years to come

According to a new report children who grow up with alcoholic parents bear emotional, behavioural and mental scars and are more likely to become addicted themselves.

5 Sep 2006

Warrior gene theory sparks debate and highlights domestic violence in New Zealand

A New Zealand researcher whose claim that Maori people carry a "warrior" gene that makes them more prone to violent and aggressive behaviour has provoked strong reactions from some quarters.

9 Aug 2006

fMRI shows "gambling" structures in the brain

From gamblers playing blackjack to investors picking stocks, humans make a wide range of decisions that require gauging risk versus reward.

2 Aug 2006

New marketing tactics by the tobacco industry reported

A new American Lung Association report, Alcohol-Flavored Cigarettes - Continuing the Flavored Cigarette Trend, shows that the tobacco industry continues to target the nation's youth and young adults with their deadly products using underhanded marketing tactics.

27 Jun 2006

Researchers identify characteristics that may lead to alcoholism

Those who are male and have behavioral disinhibition have the highest risk of developing alcoholism. Also, individuals with a family history of alcoholism (FH+) have a greater risk of developing alcoholism themselves than do persons with no family history, while FH+ individuals who are male and have behavioral disinhibition may have the greatest risk of developing alcoholism. Researchers caution that these combined characteristics indicate a greater probability, not certainty, of developing alcoholism.

26 Apr 2006

Research sheds light on eating disorders, compulsive gambling and drug abuse

Researchers at Harvard Medical School (HMS) report in the April 23 issue of Nature that they have identified neurons that encode the values that subjects assign to different items. The activity of these neurons might facilitate the process of decision-making that occurs when someone chooses between different goods.

23 Apr 2006