Grant: Doctoral Research Award: Canada Graduate Scholarships

The lights and sounds of a casino are exciting and increase enjoyment. However, these cues can cause intense cravings in those with pathological gambling, and there is increasing concern over their addictive nature. Previous research suggests that exposure to these cues contributes to the establishment of maladaptive addictive behaviours despite negative consequences. To investigate the influence of cues on brain functioning and cost/benefit decision making, our lab studies these behaviours in rats using the Rat Gambling Task. In this task, the majority of rats learn to favour options associated with low reward (1 or 2 sugar pellets on winning trials), and low risk (shorter time-out penalties that occur less frequently), which maximize reward earned over-time. However, some rats choose to go for the risky yet exciting high-reward options. Pairing lights and sounds with reward delivery results in a higher proportion of rats choosing the high-risk options, despite being disadvantageous in the long-run. Previous evidence from our lab suggests that adding these cues not only increases disadvantageous risky decision making, but also cements this behavioural pattern in stone. Rats become inflexible in their choice pattern, and it's difficult to shift their preferences. In my proposal, I outline four experiments which seek to uncover the neurobiological mechanisms of this effect. My research focuses on a key brain region - the orbitofrontal cortex. This region has been previously associated with managing cognitive flexibility and determining action-outcome contingencies. Experimental manipulation of activity in this region may reverse the negative effect of cues on risky decision making. If this is the case, our research could stimulate the development of medical and behavioural treatments that reduce the pervasive nature of habits associated with addiction and help to prevent relapse, by targeting the control of cues over behaviour.