Addictive gambling can have severely negative effects on a person’s lives. Because of such addiction, many people suffer from unemployment, financial debts and even families separation. Long time ago, a lot of scientists were really confused about why and how can the general public get so addicted to gambling, in a way similar to drug and many other types of addictions. This question had been solved by the study about pleasure centre, which began in 1954.
(Graph 1: Gambling. Author: jeniferanne Source: pictures uploaded by the original photographer)
“Pleasure center” is a part of our brain that is located below the fronted end of Corpus Callosum (As shown in Graph 2 ). When we feel happy, this area will release a chemical called “dopamine”, which is also a type of neurotransmitters that can stimulate our brains and induce the feelings of pleasure.
(Graph 2: The location of corpus Callosum) Author: Saskia Steinmann, Gregor Leicht and Christoph Mulert Source: pictures uploaded by the original photographer.
The classic experiment regarding pleasure centre is “Rats and Rewards”. In 1950, two psychological researchers, whose names are James Olds and Peter Milner, implanted several electrodes into rats’ brains to release small electric pulses, which can stimulate specific areas of the brain. Olds and Milner found out that when they place the electrodes onto the location where below the fronted end of Corpus Callosum (As shown in Graph 2 ), which also known as the pleasure centre in the future, rats would keep pushing the panel without eating and drinking. In the end, these rats died from hunger and thirst. Based on this experiment, other scientists further discovered dopamine and the study of classical learning.
This type of addictive behaviour, as exhibited by the rats in the above experiment, is very similar to gambling. It can force people to forget about their real lives and maintain their addictive activities.
However, what if we can find a type of medicine that can inhibit the production of dopamine, and to help people quit gambling? In the Centre for Gambling Research at UBC, many researchers and scientists are experimenting to develop a new type of medicine which could regulate the pleasure centre and reduce the amount of dopamine emitted. They are also researching psychological methods to examine and control decision-making. The experimental methods are mainly about giving different groups of test subjects many types of medicine, and their heart rates, hormone levels or other types of physiological signals are measured. Higher heart rates or hormone levels imply higher releasing of dopamine. Base on such reaction, scientists can test about how can a specific of medicine can lower the physiological signals, which can eventually inhibit the pleasurable feelings of addictions. If this research can be achieved, many people in the world who suffer from gambling problems can be saved and also start a brand new life.
–Xiaochen Liang
References:
What’s pleasure center and the famous rat experiment ?
http://www.neuroscientificallychallenged.com/blog/know-your-brain-reward-system
The UBC gambling research
Graph 1
Author: jeniferanne Source: pictures uploaded by the original photographer
Graph 2
Author: Saskia Steinmann, Gregor Leicht and Christoph Mulert Source: pictures uploaded by the original photographer.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Interhemispheric_auditory_pathways_fnhum-08-00055-g001.png
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruEsLc6IaBk[/youtube] Youtube Uploaded by Kanaal van teaching psychology Sources: Unknown
