Serotonergic and Dopaminergic Modulation of Gambling Behavior as Assessed Using a Novel Rat Gambling Task

Abstract

Pathological gambling (PG) is characterized by persistent, maladaptive gambling behavior, which disrupts personal and professional life. Animal models of gambling behavior could make a significant contribution to improving our understanding of the neural and neurochemical basis of gambling, and the treatment of PG. When gambling, failing to win critically results in the loss of resources wagered as well as the absence of additional gain. Here, we have incorporated these concepts into a novel rat gambling task (rGT), based, in part, on the 'Iowa' gambling task (IGT) commonly used clinically to measure gambling-like behavior. Rats choose among four different options to earn as many sugar pellets as possible within 30 min. Each option is associated with the delivery of a different amount of reward, but also with a different probability and duration of punishing time-out periods during which reward cannot be earned. The schedules are designed such that persistent choice of options linked with larger rewards result in fewer pellets earned per unit time. Rats learn to avoid these risky options to maximize their earnings, comparable with the optimal strategy in the IGT. Both d-amphetamine and the 5-HT 1A receptor agonist, 8-OH-DPAT, impaired task performance. In contrast, the dopamine D 2 receptor antagonist, eticlopride, improved performance, whereas the D 1 receptor antagonist, SCH23390, had no effect. These data suggest that both serotonergic and dopaminergic agents can impair and improve gambling performance, and indicate that the rGT will be a useful tool to study the biological basis of gambling.

The Roles of Dopamine and Serotonin in Decision Making: Evidence from Pharmacological Experiments in Humans

“…The administration of amphetamine and the 5-HT 1A receptor agonist 8-OH-DPAT (acting presynaptically) reduced the selection of optimal responses that maximized reward opportunities per unit time. By contrast, administration of the D 2 receptor antagonist, eticlopride, improved task performance, suggesting that serotonin and dopamine may play different roles in decisions involving degrees of risk and mixed outcomes (Zeeb et al, 2009).…”

“…As noted above, Denk et al (2005) report that administration of pCPA impaired delay discounting in rats but not effort-based decision making, whereas administration of haloperidol produced the reverse pattern of behavioral changes. Using an analog of the Iowa Gambling Task, Zeeb et al (2009) explored the effects of systemic dopamine and serotonergic manipulations on gambling-like behaviors in rats. The administration of amphetamine and the 5-HT 1A receptor agonist 8-OH-DPAT (acting presynaptically) reduced the selection of optimal responses that maximized reward opportunities per unit time.…”

The effect of pain on cognitive function: A review of clinical and preclinical research

“…Inflammatory pain has been shown to affect the performance of rats in a gambling task which is thought to be analogous to the Iowa gambling task and assesses emotional decision making (Zeeb et al, 2009). In two rat models of monoarthritis (intra-articular kaolin and carrageenan to the knee joint or CFA to the tibiotarsal joint of the hindpaw), pain responding was associated with a preference for a "high risk" lever associated with larger but more infrequent Cognitive performance has also been investigated in animal models of chronic neuropathic pain.…”

Dissociable Contributions of Anterior Cingulate Cortex and Basolateral Amygdala on a Rodent Cost/Benefit Decision-Making Task of Cognitive Effort

“…All percentages were arcsine transformed to minimize artificial ceiling effects (Winstanley et al, 2003;Zeeb et al, 2009) before analysis. Animals were grouped as 'workers' if they chose HR for 470% of trials (BLA: n ¼ 9; ACC: n ¼ 10) and 'slackers' if they chose HR forp70% of trials (BLA: n ¼ 7; ACC: n ¼ 18) at post-surgical baseline.…”