Interactions between affective and cognitive processing systems in problematic gamblers: a functional connectivity...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Psychology
• Neuroimaging

Background:

• Pathological gambling is associated with motivational and cognitive deficits.
• Limited research exists on the interplay between motivational and cognitive processing in problematic gamblers.
• Interactions between dorsal (executive) and ventral (affective) brain systems are crucial for emotional regulation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the influence of affective stimuli on functional brain connectivity during response inhibition in problematic gamblers.
• To explore the interplay between motivational and cognitive systems in pathological gambling.

Main Methods:

• Used a generalized Psycho-Physiological Interaction (gPPI) analysis.
• Employed an affective Go-NoGo fMRI paradigm with neutral, gambling-related, positive, and negative stimuli.
• Compared 16 treatment-seeking problematic gamblers (PRGs) with 15 healthy controls (HCs).

Main Results:

• Task accuracy correlated with functional connectivity between the left caudate and right middle frontal cortex during neutral inhibition.
• In PRGs, gambling-related inhibition accuracy correlated with dorsal executive system connectivity.
• PRGs showed greater left caudate-occipital cortex connectivity during neutral inhibition compared to HCs.
• PRGs exhibited greater left caudate-occipital cortex connectivity during positive affective inhibition compared to HCs.
• PRGs displayed stronger left caudate-right anterior cingulate cortex connectivity during negative affective inhibition compared to HCs.

Conclusions:

• Problematic gamblers may utilize dorsal executive system connectivity more effectively during gambling inhibition.
• Enhanced connectivity between ventral affective and dorsal executive systems in PRGs during affective conditions suggests affective stimuli may facilitate cognitive control.