Abstract
Identification of specific patterns of brain activity related to problem gambling may provide a deeper understanding of its underlying mechanisms, highlighting the importance of neurophysiological studies to better understand development and persistence of gambling behavior. The patterns of cognitive functioning have been investigated through electroencephalography (EEG) studies based on the near-win/near-miss (NW) effect. The main goal of the present study was to evaluate the neurophysiological basis of NWs and their modulation by gambling problems through a systematic review of event-related potentials (ERP) studies elicited by feedback events. The review followed the recommendations of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA). A total of 15 studies were included, 12 comprising non-problem gamblers (NPGs) and three comparing problem gamblers (PGs) with matched controls. For the P300 component, the win outcome elicited a larger amplitude than the other outcomes (NW and loss), followed by the NW outcome, which elicited a larger amplitude than loss in some studies. For feedback-related negativity (FRN), the loss outcome evoked a more negative amplitude in several studies, despite eliciting a similar amplitude to NW outcomes in others. For PGs, the NW outcome evoked a higher amplitude of P300 than loss, while NPGs showed a similar amplitude to both outcomes. The present review gathered information from different sources and provides a consistent view of the different studies. However, studies lack systematic and robust methodologies, leading to inconsistent results and making it difficult to reach any definitive conclusions.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 5-35 |
| Number of pages | 31 |
| Journal | Journal of Gambling Studies |
| Volume | 41 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Mar 2025 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© The Author(s) 2024.
Funding
Open access funding provided by FCT|FCCN (b-on). This work was supported by Funda\u00E7\u00E3o para a Ci\u00EAncia e Tecnologia (FCT) through R&D Units funding (UIDB/05210/2020) and under the project UIDB/05422/2020. Miguel Peixoto is a researcher of Escola Superior de Sa\u00FAde, Polytechnic Institute of Porto, Porto, Portugal, supported by FCT - Funda\u00E7\u00E3o para a Ci\u00EAncia e Tecnologia [Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology] (PRT/BD/154830/2023). The authors declare no conflict of interest except MDG. MDG has received research funding from Norsk Tipping (the gambling operator owned by the Norwegian government). MDG has received funding for a number of research projects in the area of gambling education for young people, social responsibility in gambling and gambling treatment from Gamble Aware (formerly the Responsibility in Gambling Trust), a charitable body which funds its research program based on donations from the gambling industry. MDG undertakes consultancy for various gambling companies in the area of player protection and social responsibility in gambling. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| FCCN | |
| Instituto Politécnico do Porto | |
| Norwegian government | |
| Norsk Tipping | |
| Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia | PRT/BD/154830/2023, UIDB/05422/2020, UIDB/05210/2020 |
Keywords
- Event-related potentials (ERP)
- Feedback-related negativity (FRN)
- Gambling
- Near Win
- Near miss
- P300