Gambling addiction triggers the same brain areas as drug and alcohol cravings
The study, by international scientists including researchers from Imperial College London, suggests targeting these brain pathways may lead to future treatments for the condition. The findings, published in the journal Translational Psychiatry , also suggest connections between the parts of the brain that control our impulses may be weakened in people with gambling addiction. This work provides vital clues into the biology of gambling addiction, which is still largely unknown, explained Dr Henrietta Bowden-Jones, co-author from the Department of Medicine at Imperial, and director of the National Problem Gambling Clinic, at Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust. "Gambling addiction can have a devastating effect not just on patients, but also their families. It can result in people losing their job, and leave families and children homeless. "We know the condition may have a genetic component -- and that the children of gambling addicts are at higher risk...