Little rats sitting around slot machines in a cage. That is the premise of this study.
“In the 16-month study, a cohort of 32 laboratory rats responded to a series of three flashing lights before choosing between two levers. One combination of lights (all lights illuminated) signaled a win and seven combinations (zero, one or two lights) signaled a loss. A “cash-out” lever rewarded the rat with 10 sugar pellets on winning trials, but gave a 10-second “time out” penalty on losing trails. The “roll again” lever allowed the rats to begin a new trial without penalty, but provided no sugar pellets.”
Much like humans, the rats showed excitement when they won and were upset when they lost. When rats had a near miss, they treated it almost like a win.
Scientists used a D4 dopamine blocking medication on the rats, making the rats much less likely to “cash-out”. Dopamine receptor has been linked to behavioral disorders for a long time. When rats were given the medication they showed reduced signs of problem gambling.
Not all rat studies can be linked directly back to humans because their species are still quite different, but the study is promising because it eliminated many variables by just leaving the rats in the cage to do that. But, will rats keep gambling just because they are bored and have nothing else to do? It could be a similar effect like that of the rats in the Rat Morphine experiment. So maybe humans continue to feel compelled to gamble when they are bored or feel trapped.
My friend’s grandmother had a gambling problem for a long time. She was there so often that the bouncers and dealers knew her and would put her at the best tables. Eventually, she made herself stop cold-turkey for good and hasn’t turned back since.
I found this study to be quite interesting because it could lead to a medication for problem gamblers as well as other behavioral diseases, but it needs much more looking into. How could scientists design a study with humans to test this?
Rats gambling!! Really funny and interesting. I believe gambling is an addiction and very hard to stop. I found it interesting how the rats reacted when the won or lose, just like humans. It’s sad to here a loved one addicted to gambling and you want to help them. The National Council on Problem Gambling has programs to help addicts. They explain what gambling is and their mission to help. http://www.ncpgambling.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=1
Rats gambling!! Really funny and interesting. I believe gambling is an addiction and very hard to stop. I found it interesting how the rats reacted when the won or lose, just like humans. It’s sad to here a loved one addicted to gambling and you want to help them. The National Council on Problem Gambling has programs to help addicts. They explain what gambling is and their mission to help. http://www.ncpgambling.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=1
I found this blog to be very interesting especially because I feel as though gambling addiction is as severe a problem as all other types of addictions including drugs and alcohol. From personal experience, I can say that when you are at the casino and are winning, it is hard to just quit and walk away, and when you lose the feeling is terrible. I think it’s crazy that rats can mimic the same type of feelings we as humans get from gambling and that science has advanced far enough where they can make conclusions based on studying animals. Gambling is a very serious addiction and can lead to many detrimental affects and also extreme debt. A guide to dealing with gambling addiction can be found here: http://www.helpguide.org/mental/gambling_addiction.php
Gambling is an addiction like anything else. It is a mental reliance on something to provide stimulation. The experiment used dopamine to control the brain functions of pleasure and reward. The result of the use on the rats was a decrease in the gambling-like activity. The chemicals found in dopamine have the same effect on humans and if a gambling addict were to take the drug, one could only assume that the chemicals would reduce the tendency to gamble. Dopamine Information
Zach, great post and catchy title. I never knew they had an experiment out there using rats to figure out why humans(people) gamble, I kind of shocked they used rats, I thought they would have used a chimpanzee or something to study their brains, and also I never people gambled because they were bored I think that’s interesting.