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Altered dopamine function in pathological gambling
C Bergh1, T Eklund, P Södersten
1Department of Clinical Neuroscience and Family Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Huddinge, Sweden.
Background:
The possibility that monoaminergic neurotransmission is altered in pathological gambling was examined.
Methods:
Monoamines and their metabolites were measured in CSF obtained at level L4-5 from ten pathological gamblers and seven controls.
Results:
A decrease in dopamine and an increase in 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid and homovanilic acid was found. Noradrenaline and its metabolite 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol was also increased but 5-hydroxytryptamine and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid were unchanged.
Conclusion:
It is suggested that the function of the dopaminergic system, possibly mediating positive and negative reward, and the noradrenergic system, possibly mediating selective attention, is changed in pathological gambling.