Investigating Decision-Making under Risk in Pathological Gambling Using a Virtual Slot Machine: A Pilot Eye-Tracking...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychology
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Pathological gambling (PG) is associated with impaired decision-making.
• The specific impact of win-contingent stimuli on decision-making in PG remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the influence of win-contingent cues on decision-making and visual attention in individuals with PG.
• To compare the performance of patients with PG and healthy controls on a gambling task.

Main Methods:

• A slot machine gambling task was administered to 10 patients with PG and 14 healthy controls.
• Decision-making and gaze fixations were recorded using high-resolution eye-tracking.
• The task was performed with and without win-contingent cues.

Main Results:

• Patients with PG made more high-risk decisions and fewer rational choices compared to controls.
• Individuals with PG showed reduced attention to probability information and increased attention to gambling cues.
• Win-contingent cues prolonged decision times and decreased attention to probability information in all participants.

Conclusions:

• Gambling-associated cues significantly influence decision-making in pathological gambling.
• Altered cue-reactivity plays a crucial role in the risky decision-making patterns observed in PG.
• Targeting cue-reactivity may be a viable strategy for treating pathological gambling.