Gallery: Science Confirms the Obvious!

The Study
"Executive Function Abnormalities in Pathological Gamblers,” Clinical Practice and Epidemiology in Mental Health, March 2008
The Findings
A trip through Las Vegas will reveal plenty of two-time (and 20- and 100-time) losers who haven’t learned when to walk away. Although scientists suspect that a mix of genetic and environmental factors causes compulsive gambling, they haven’t pinned down what’s going on in an addict’s mind that keeps him at the table. Researchers at the University of Pisa in Italy put 20 diagnosed compulsive gamblers through several tests, including a card-sorting exercise. The gamblers displayed normal verbal and memory skills but had difficulty solving problems and took longer than average to learn from their mistakes or look for alternative solutions. Instead of changing strategies, the persistent gamblers showed signs of “cognitive rigidity” and repeatedly tried ineffective solutions.

Why Bother?
The goal is to find a cure for compulsive gambling, and although the sample group is small, this study suggests that a root cause might be abnormalities in the prefrontal lobe—the gamblers’ problems were similar to those of people who had suffered minor brain damage. It’s not a cure, but neurologists now at least know where to poke and prod.