Multi-line electronic gambling machines (EGMs) are strongly associated with problem gambling. Dopamine (DA) plays a central role in substance-use disorders, which share clinical and behavioral features with disordered gambling. The structural design features of multi-line EGMs likely lead to the elicitation of various dopaminergic effects within their nested anticipation-outcome structure. The present account draws an analogy between EGM gambling and latent state inference accounts of conditioning, and links maladaptive gambling-related beliefs and expectancies to a process of erroneous latent state inference that may be exacerbated by EGM design features and associated dopaminergic processes. Over the course of repeated exposure to gambling, these processes may foster the emergence of maladaptive state priors, which clinically manifest as gambling-related cognitions, beliefs, and expectancies.
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Dr. David Lowemann, M.Sc, Ph.D., is a co-founder of the Institute for the Future of Human Potential, where he leads the charge in pioneering Self-Enhancement Science for the Success of Society. With a keen interest in exploring the untapped potential of the human mind, Dr. Lowemann has dedicated his career to pushing the boundaries of human capabilities and understanding.
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