Disordered gambling: the evolving concept of behavioral addiction

Area of Science:

• Addiction Science
• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry

Background:

• Gambling disorder's reclassification in DSM-5 as an addiction highlights its parallels with substance use disorders.
• Unlike substance use disorders, gambling disorder's cognitive effects may offer unique insights into addictive vulnerabilities, particularly concerning brain effects.

Purpose of the Study:

• To critically evaluate how cognitive sequelae of gambling disorder inform understanding of addictive vulnerabilities.
• To analyze the mechanisms underlying behavioral addiction in the absence of exogenous drug stimulation.

Main Methods:

• Review of structural neuroimaging data related to gambling disorder.
• Analysis of the relative potency of drug versus non-drug rewards.
• Examination of cognitive distortions in chance processing, such as illusion of control and gambler's fallacy.

Main Results:

• Cognitive distortions in processing chance may be a significant factor in developing gambling disorder.
• Understanding neural and behavioral mechanisms is crucial for classifying future behavioral addictions.

Conclusions:

• Gambling disorder provides a model for understanding behavioral addictions.
• Further research into cognitive and neural mechanisms is essential for advancing addiction science and classifying disorders like obesity, binge eating, compulsive shopping, and internet gaming disorder.