title: Altered neural correlates of reward and loss processing during simulated slot-machine fMRI in pathological gambling and cocaine dependence.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Individuals with gambling or substance-use disorders exhibit similar functional alterations in reward circuitry suggestive of a shared underlying vulnerability in addictive disorders. Additional research into common and unique alterations in reward-processing in substance-related and non-substance-related addictions may identify neural factors that could be targeted in treatment development for these disorders.
  
  
  METHODS
  To investigate contextual reward-processing in pathological gambling, a slot-machine fMRI task was performed by three groups (with pathological gambling, cocaine dependence and neither disorder; N = 24 each) to determine the extent to which two groups with addictions (non-substance-related and substance-related) showed similarities and differences with respect to each other and a non-addicted group during anticipatory periods and following the delivery of winning, losing and 'near-miss' outcomes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Individuals with pathological gambling or cocaine dependence compared to those with neither disorder exhibited exaggerated anticipatory activity in mesolimbic and ventrocortical regions, with pathological-gambling participants displaying greater positive possible-reward anticipation and cocaine-dependent participants displaying more negative certain-loss anticipation. Neither clinical sample exhibited medial frontal or striatal responses that were observed following near-miss outcomes in healthy comparison participants.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Alterations in anticipatory processing may be sensitive to the valence of rewards and content-disorder-specific. Common and unique findings in pathological gambling and cocaine dependence with respect to anticipatory reward and near-miss loss processing suggest shared and unique elements that might be targeted through behavioral or pharmacological interventions in the treatment of addictions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Patrick D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Worhunsky
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Robert T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Malison
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom; School of Psychology, Adeilad Brigantia, Bangor, North Wales, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Robert D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Rogers
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA; Department of Neurobiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA; Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA. Electronic address: marc.potenza@yale.edu.
authors.forename: Marc N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Potenza
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016739:Behavior, Addictive / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000523:psychology; D019970:Cocaine-Related Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000523:psychology; D003198:Computer Simulation; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005715:Gambling / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D012201:Reward; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Addiction; Cocaine dependence; Near-miss; Pathological gambling; fMRI