New Research Claims It Might Have Found Region Of Brain Responsible For Addictive Gambling BehaviorsCould A Hyperactive Insula Be Responsible For Problem Gambling? |
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Some scientists have come out with some research that they think might pinpoint a part of the brain where, if hyperactive, addictive gambler behaviors can be traced to.
According to reporting from The Independent, a study looked at people who had somehow damaged a specific region of the brain — the insula — and how it affected their ability to control gambling impulses. Those with damaged insulas were basically immune to the desire to gamble, which makes some scientists think gambling addiction could possibly be linked to an insula that is out of control. Gambling specific tests were administered.
The scientists compared the effects of a damaged insula in a person with patients who had damage to other parts of their brains, but healthy insulas.
“Based on these results, we believe that the insula could be hyperactive in problem gamblers, making them more susceptible to these errors of thinking,” said Luke Clark of Cambridge University, who led the study.
“Future treatments for gambling addiction could seek to reduce this hyperactivity, either by drugs or by psychological techniques like mindfulness therapies…The results give us new avenues to explore for the treatment of gambling addiction.”
The study was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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