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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 16, 2026

Three Laboratory Procedures for Assessing Different Manifestations of Impulsivity in Rats

Three Laboratory Procedures for Assessing Different Manifestations of Impulsivity in Rats

Published on: March 17, 2019

Impulsive action but not impulsive choice determines problem gambling severity.

Damien Brevers¹, Axel Cleeremans, Frederick Verbruggen

¹Psychological Medicine Laboratory, CHU-Brugmann, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Bruxelles, Belgium. dbrevers@ulb.ac.be

|December 5, 2012

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Problem gamblers exhibit abnormal impulsive choice, while pathological gamblers show deficits in impulsive action. These distinct impulsivity facets may indicate different developmental pathways in gambling disorders.

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Psychology
Behavioral Science

Background:

Impulsivity is a key feature of problem gambling.
Impulsivity is multifaceted, encompassing impulsive action and impulsive choice.
This study differentiates these facets in relation to gambling severity.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the relationship between problem gambling severity and two facets of impulsivity: impulsive action and impulsive choice.
To differentiate the impulsivity profiles of problem gamblers and pathological gamblers.

Main Methods:

Recruited 65 problem gamblers and 35 controls.
Assessed impulsive action via the stop-signal task and impulsive choice via delay-discounting.
Controlled for potential confounds like IQ, mood, and ADHD symptoms.

Main Results:

All gamblers showed higher reward discounting (impulsive choice) than controls.
Pathological gamblers, but not all problem gamblers, exhibited impaired response inhibition (impulsive action).
Confounds did not explain these observed differences.

Conclusions:

Abnormal impulsive choice is common in all problem gamblers.
Impaired impulsive action may be specific to pathological gambling, suggesting a distinct developmental trajectory.
Understanding these impulsivity facets is crucial for gambling disorder research.