Personality, addiction, dopamine: insights from Parkinson's disease.
In rare instances, patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) may become addicted to their own medication or develop behavioral addictions such as pathological gambling. This is surprising because PD patients typically have a very low incidence of drug abuse and display a personality type that is the polar opposite of the addictive personality. These rare addictive syndromes, which appear to result from excessive dopaminergic medication use, illustrate the link between dopamine, personality, and addiction. We describe the clinical phenomena and attempt to relate them to current models of learning and addiction. We conclude that persistently elevated dopaminergic stimulation promotes the development and maintenance of addictive behaviors.
Dagher
Alain
A
Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, 3801 University Street, Montreal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada. alain.dagher@mcgill.ca
Robbins
Trevor W
TW
D000978:Antiparkinson Agents; D016739:Behavior, Addictive / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D004298:Dopamine / Q000502:physiology*; D005715:Gambling / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D007175:Impulsive Behavior / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology; D017072:Neostriatum / Q000503:physiopathology; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D010551:Personality / Q000502:physiology*; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology
D000978:Antiparkinson Agents; D004298:Dopamine