Lole Lisa, Gonsalvez Craig J, Barry Robert J
School of Psychology, University of Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia; Brain & Behaviour Research Institute, University of Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia.
School of Social Sciences & Psychology, University of Western Sydney, NSW 2751, Australia.
Clin Neurophysiol. 2015 Jul;126(7):1295-309. doi: 10.1016/j.clinph.2014.10.011. Epub 2014 Oct 19.
To investigate whether the latent neural correlates of incentive processing differ between problem gamblers (PGs) and healthy controls (HCs).
Event-related potential (ERP) data were derived while 16 PGs and 20 HCs played a computer electronic gaming machine (EGM) task. Psychophysiological responses to outcomes commonly encountered during EGM gambling, including Large wins, Small wins, Near-wins, and Losses, were examined using a spatiotemporal principal components analysis (PCA). Subjects also completed questionnaires that assessed their levels of impulsivity, attraction to appetitive stimuli, and avoidance of aversive stimuli.
Losses elicited a feedback-related negativity (FRN), whereas wins elicited a feedback-related positivity (FRP) at the same latency and topography. PGs exhibited both attenuated FRN amplitudes following Losses and FRP amplitudes following Wins. Greater P3b amplitudes were found following Wins compared to Losses. FRN amplitudes following Near-wins were significantly reduced compared to Losses for both PGs and HCs. Trends for reduced P3b amplitudes following all outcome types, and for similar P3b amplitudes following Large and Small wins, were found for the PG group.
We provide evidence that PGs are hyposensitive to both positive and negative outcomes.
The finding that PGs are hyposensitive to reward and punishment provides valuable insight into the nature of deficit in this disorder, and provides a foundation for future research and clinical interventions.
探讨问题赌徒（PGs）与健康对照者（HCs）在奖励处理的潜在神经关联上是否存在差异。
16名问题赌徒和20名健康对照者在玩电脑电子游戏机（EGM）任务时记录事件相关电位（ERP）数据。使用时空主成分分析（PCA）研究对EGM赌博中常见结果的心理生理反应，包括大赢、小赢、接近赢和输。受试者还完成了评估其冲动水平、对奖励性刺激的吸引力以及对厌恶性刺激的回避程度的问卷。
输会引发反馈相关负波（FRN），而赢在相同潜伏期和脑电地形图上会引发反馈相关正波（FRP）。问题赌徒在输后表现出FRN波幅减弱，赢后表现出FRP波幅减弱。与输相比，赢后发现更大的P3b波幅。对于问题赌徒和健康对照者，接近赢后的FRN波幅与输相比显著降低。在问题赌徒组中发现了所有结果类型后P3b波幅降低的趋势，以及大赢和小赢后P3b波幅相似的趋势。
我们提供证据表明问题赌徒对正面和负面结果均反应迟钝。
问题赌徒对奖励和惩罚反应迟钝这一发现为该疾病缺陷的本质提供了有价值的见解，并为未来的研究和临床干预奠定了基础。
