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Updated: Aug 10, 2026

The Motivation for Alcohol Reward: Predictors of Progressive-Ratio Intravenous Alcohol Self-Administration in Humans
Published on: April 28, 2022
Heart rate increase to alcohol administration and video lottery terminal play among probable pathological gamblers
Sherry H Stewart1, Jordan B Peterson, Pamela Collins
1Department of Psychology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada. sherry.stewart@dal.ca
Abstract:
The authors examined heart-rate responses to alcohol consumption and video lottery terminal (VLT) play. Regular VLT players (30 probable pathological gamblers [PPGs]; 30 nonpathological gamblers [NPGs]) were randomized to an alcohol (mean postdrinking blood alcohol concentration = 0.056%) or placebo condition. Heart rate was recorded at pre- and postdrinking baselines and during VLT play. Consistent with an earlier study, alcohol-condition participants displayed elevated heart rates relative to placebo-condition participants only at postdrinking and VLT play. Moreover, alcohol-condition participants showed a greater heart rate increase to VLT play than did placebo-condition participants. However, PPGs were not more susceptible to alcohol- and/or VLT play-induced heart rate accelerations than were NPGs. Implications for gambling/alcohol-disorder comorbidity are discussed.
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