A Preliminary Comparison of Cannabis Use in Subsyndromal Gamblers: Select Neurocognitive and Behavioral Differences Based on Use

Gambling and Cannabis Use: Clinical and Policy Implications

Eleven US States and the District of Columbia legally allow personal (i.e., recreational) cannabis use by adults, and an additional 22 states allow use of cannabis for medicinal purposes. Of these jurisdictions, only two do not have some form of legalized gambling available (https://www.casino.org/local/guide/). In contrast to this rapid increase in legally available marijuana is the limited knowledge about the intersection of cannabis use and gambling. This paper strives to define the current status of the relevant literatures and consider the implication for future gambling research. We describe the research literature on the prevalence of cannabis use and co-existing gambling problems and the effects of cannabis use on gambling-related cognitive functions and decision-making. We also discuss clinical considerations with treating problem gamblers with a cannabis use disorder. Finally, the potential implications for responsible gambling practices and policies and the most pressing gaps in the research literature are offered.

Cannabis use, problem-gambling severity, and psychiatric disorders: Data from the National Epidemiological Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions

Cannabis use and related disorders are common in adults and frequently co-occur with subsyndromal and pathological gambling. However, understanding how cannabis use may moderate relationships between problem-gambling severity and psychiatric disorders remains poorly understood. Data from the National Epidemiological Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (N = 43,093 adults) were examined to investigate how cannabis use moderated associations between problem-gambling severity (with gambling groups based on the 10 Diagnostic and Statistical Manual [DSM-IV] inclusionary criteria for pathological gambling) and Axis I and Axis II psychiatric disorders. Problem-gambling severity groups included low frequency/nongambling, low-risk gambling, at-risk gambling, and problem/pathological gambling (PPG). Among both the group with lifetime cannabis use and that which never used cannabis, greater problem-gambling severity was associated with more psychopathology across mood, anxiety, substance-use and Axis II disorders. Significant Cannabis Use × Problem-Gambling Severity Group interactions were observed between PPG and major depression (OR = 0.35, 95% CI = [0.14-0.85]), cluster A personality disorders (OR = 0.37, 95% CI = [0.16-0.86])-especially paranoid personality disorder (OR = 0.34, 95% CI = [0.14-0.81])-and cluster B personality disorders (OR = 0.36, 95% CI = [0.18-0.75])-especially antisocial personality disorder (OR = 0.25, 95% CI = [0.11-0.60]). In all cases, associations between problem-gambling severity and psychopathologies were weaker among the lifetime-cannabis-using group as compared to the never-using group. Cannabis use moderates the relationships between problem-gambling severity and psychiatric disorders, with cannabis use appearing to account for some of the variance in the associations between greater problem-gambling severity and specific forms of psychopathology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Gambling Type, Substance Abuse, Health and Psychosocial Correlates of Male and Female Problem Gamblers in a Nationally Representative French Sample

Many studies carried out on treatment-seeking problem gamblers (PG) have reported high levels of comorbid substance use disorders, and mental and physical health problems. Nevertheless, general population studies are still sparse, most of them have been carried out in the United States or Canada, and gender differences have not always been considered. Thus, the aim of this study was to describe the type of games, and psychological and physical correlates in male and female PG in a nationally representative French sample. The total sample studied involved 25,647 subjects aged 15-85 years, including 333 PG and 25,314 non-problem gamblers (NPG). Data were extracted from a large survey of a representative sample of the French general population. They were evaluated for sociodemographic variables, gambling behavior, type of gambling activity, substance use, psychological distress, body mass index, chronic disease, and lack of sleep. Overall, there were significant differences between PG and NPG in gender, age, education, employment and marital status, substance use disorders (alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, cocaine and heroin), psychological distress, obesity, lack of sleep and type of gambling activity. Although male and female PG had different profiles, the gambling type, especially strategic games, appeared as an important variable in the relationship between gender and problem gambling. This research underlines the importance of considering gender differences and gambling type in the study of gambling disorders. Identifying specific factors in the relationship between gender, gambling type and gambling problems may help improve clinical interventions and health promotion strategies.

Neural and neurochemical basis of reinforcement-guided decision making

Decision making is an adaptive behavior that takes into account several internal and external input variables and leads to the choice of a course of action over other available and often competing alternatives. While it has been studied in diverse fields ranging from mathematics, economics, ecology, and ethology to psychology and neuroscience, recent cross talk among perspectives from different fields has yielded novel descriptions of decision processes. Reinforcement-guided decision making models are based on economic and reinforcement learning theories, and their focus is on the maximization of acquired benefit over a defined period of time. Studies based on reinforcement-guided decision making have implicated a large network of neural circuits across the brain. This network includes a wide range of cortical (e.g., orbitofrontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex) and subcortical (e.g., nucleus accumbens and subthalamic nucleus) brain areas and uses several neurotransmitter systems (e.g., dopaminergic and serotonergic systems) to communicate and process decision-related information. This review discusses distinct as well as overlapping contributions of these networks and neurotransmitter systems to the processing of decision making. We end the review by touching on neural circuitry and neuromodulatory regulation of exploratory decision making.