Pathological video game use among young Swiss men: the use of monothetic and polythetic formats to distinguish between pathological, excessive and normal gaming

There is no agreement about the distinction between pathological, excessive and normal gaming. The present study compared two classifications for defining pathological gaming: the polythetic format (gamers who met at least half of the criteria) and monothetic format (gamers who met all criteria). Associations with mental, health and social issues were examined to assess differences between subgroups of gamers. A representative sample of 5,663 young Swiss men filled in a questionnaire as part of the ongoing Cohort Study on Substance Use Risk Factors (C-SURF). Game use was assessed with the Game Addiction Scale. Mental, social and physical factors (depression, anxiety, aggressiveness, physical and mental health, social and health consequences), gambling and substance use (illicit drug use, alcohol dependence and problematic cannabis use) were also assessed. The results indicated that monothetic gamers shared problems with polythetic gamers, but were even more inclined to mental health issues (depression, anxiety, and aggressiveness) and were more vulnerable to other dependencies like substance use, alcohol dependence or gambling. A second analysis using Latent Class Analysis confirmed the distinction between monothetic and polythetic gamers. These findings support the use of a monothetic format to diagnose pathological gaming and to differentiate it from excessive gaming.

Pokeritulojen verotus

Tutkielman tavoitteena oli analysoida pokeritulojen verotusta Suomessa. Analyysi jakautui nykylains����d��nn��n mukaisen tilanteen k��sittelyyn ja toisaalta nykytilanteelle vaihtoehtoisen mallin luomiseen. Tarkastelu keskittyi p����asiassa ammattilaispelaajan tilanteeseen, mutta my��s harrastelijoiden n��k��kulma otettiin huomioon. Tutkimusmenetelm�� oli kvalitatiivinen ja tutkielmaa varten haastateltiin sek�� ammattilaispelaajia ett�� Verohallinnon edustajaa. Tutkielman mukaan nykytilanne, jossa pokerivoitot katsotaan arpajaisvoitoiksi, sopii hyvin harrastelijoiden tilanteeseen. Ammattilaisille tutkielma kuitenkin p����tyy esitt��m����n vaihtoehtoista mallia, jossa pokerivoitot katsottaisiin ainoastaan pelaajan p����omatuloksi, sill�� ammattilaisen kohdalla peli ei en���� ole arvontaan perustuvaa. Pokeri on heille taitopeli, jossa sattumalla on osuutensa lyhyell�� ajanjaksolla ja josta saadut voitot ovat p����omatulon luonteisia.

Microstructural Brain Differences Predict Functional Hemodynamic Responses in a Reward Processing Task

Many aspects of human behavior are driven by rewards, yet different people are differentially sensitive to rewards and punishment. In this study, we showthat white matter microstructure inthe uncinate/inferiorfronto-occipitalfasciculus, defined byfractional anisotropy values derived from diffusion tensor magnetic resonance images, correlates with both short-term (indexed by the fMRI blood oxygenation level-dependent response to reward in the nucleus accumbens) and long-term (indexed by the trait measure sensitivity to punishment) reactivityto rewards.Moreover,traitmeasures of reward processingwere also correlatedwith reward-relatedfunctional activation in the nucleus accumbens. The white matter tract revealed by the correlational analysis connects the anterior temporal lobe with the medial and lateral orbitofrontal cortex and also supplies the ventral striatum. The pattern of strong correlations suggests an intimate relationship betweenwhitematter structure and reward-related behaviorthatmay also play a rolein a number of pathological conditions, such as addiction and pathological gambling.

When decisions of others matter to me: an electrophysiological analysis.

Background: Actions of others may have immediate consequences for oneself. We probed the neural responses associated with the observation of another person"s action using event-related potentials in a modified gambling task. In this task a"performer" bet either a higher or lower number and could win or lose this amount. Three different groups of"observers" were also studied. The first (neutral) group simply observed the performer"s action, which had no consequences for the observers. In the second (parallel) group, wins/losses of the performer were paralleled by similar wins and losses by the observer. In the third (reverse) group, wins of the performer led to a loss of the observer and vice versa. Results: ERPs of the performers showed a mediofrontal feedback related negativity (FRN) to losses. The neutral and parallel observer groups did similarly show an FRN response to the performer"s losses with a topography indistinguishable from that seen in the performers. In the reverse group, however, the FRN occurred for wins of the performer which translated to losses for the observer. Conclusions: Taking into account previous experiments, we suggest that the FRN response in observers is driven by two evaluative processes (a) related to the benefit/loss for oneself and (b) related to the benefit/loss of another person

American Indians of the Southwest

Recorded in Indian communities by Willard Rhodes, with the cooperation of the United States Office of Indian Affairs.

Functional connectivity of reward processing in the brain

Controversial results have been reported concerning the neural mechanisms involved in the processing of rewards and punishments. On the one hand, there is evidence suggesting that monetary gains and losses activate a similar fronto-subcortical network. On the other hand, results of recent studies imply that reward and punishment may engage distinct neural mechanisms. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) we investigated both regional and interregional functional connectivity patterns while participants performed a gambling task featuring unexpectedly high monetary gains and losses. Classical univariate statistical analysis showed that monetary gains and losses activated a similar fronto-striatallimbic network, in which main activation peaks were observed bilaterally in the ventral striatum. Functional connectivity analysis showed similar responses for gain and loss conditions in the insular cortex, the amygdala, and the hippocampus that correlated with the activity observed in the seed region ventral striatum, with the connectivity to the amygdala appearing more pronounced after losses. Larger functional connectivity was found to the medial orbitofrontal cortex for negative outcomes. The fact that different functional patterns were obtained with both analyses suggests that the brain activations observed in the classical univariate approach identi��� es the involvement of different functional networks in the current task. These results stress the importance of studying functional connectivity in addition to standard fMRI analysis in reward-related studies.

Maailman rahapeleist�� ja rahapelien maailmoista

Kirjallisuusarvostelu

[Kirja-arvostelu]

Kirjallisuusarvostelu

Karibian nettikasinot kasinokapitalismin py��rteiss��

Kirjallisuusarvostelu

Voiko ongelmapelaaminen olla pelk��st����n kansanterveydellinen kysymys?

Kirjallisuusarvostelu

Rahapeliyhti��iden menestys Euroopan markkinoilla

Tutkielma avartaa Eurooppalaisten rahapeliyhti��iden menestymist�� vuosien 2001 ja 2014 v��lill�� verraten menestymist�� muihin Sin stocks yrityksiin sek�� Euro Stoxx 50 indeksiin. Teoriaosuus keskustelee ep��eettisiin yrityksiin kohdistuvista havainnoista sek�� rahapelaamisen luonteesta pyrkien esitt��m����n havaintoja, jotka vaikuttavat rahapeliyhti��iden ja ep��eettisten yritysten menestymiseen. Menestymist�� tarkastellaan kolmen menestysmittarin: Sharpen ja Treynorin luvun sek�� Jensenin alfan avulla.

Kulttuurin��k��kulma rahapelaamiseen

Kirjallisuusarvostelu

Markkinointikiellon alaisten tuotteiden myynti

Tutkimuksen tavoitteena on selvitt���� markkinointi- ja myynninedist��miskiellon rajoja. Millaiset toimenpiteet tulkitaan k��yt��nn��ss�� markkinoinniksi, ja kuinka suuri n��kyvyys tulkitaan esill��pidoksi. Tutkimus koostuu eri tuoteryhmien markkinointis����d��ksiin, viranomaisohjeistuksiin sek�� ennakkop����t��ksiin tutustumisesta. Koska eri alojen k��yt��nn��t markkinoinnissa poikkeavat markkinointirajoitusten johdosta toisistaan, on ty��ss�� tutkittu tupakka-, rahapeli-, alkoholi- sek�� s��hk��tupakkayhti��iden markkinointitoimenpiteit��. Ty��n kokeellisena osana perustettiin s��hk��tupakoita myyv�� yritys, joka myy tuotteita ilman kielletty�� markkinointia. Valvira ja Poliisihallitus valvovat laissa m����riteltyj�� markkinointikieltoja ja antavat mainonnan rajat ylitt��neille tahoille ohjeistuksia ja kieltop����t��ksi��. My��sk����n uhkasakot eiv��t ole tavattomia toimenpiteit��, jotta ohjeistuksia noudatettaisiin v��litt��m��sti.

Secular Possession: Cinematic Iconography of Addiction

Addiction, and the experience of being addicted, is notoriously difficult to describe verbally and explain rationally. Would multifaceted and multisensory cinematic images work better in making addiction understandable? This study enquires how cinematic expression can render visible the experience of being addicted which is invisible as such. The basic data consists of circa 50 mainly North American and European fiction films from the early 1900s to the early 2000s that deal with addictive disorders as defined in the psychiatric DSM-V classification (substance dependence- and gambling disorders). The study develops an approach for analyzing and interpreting a large volume of digital film data: digital cinematic iconography is a framework to study the multifaceted cinematic images by processing and viewing them in the ���digital image-laboratory��� of the computer. Images are cut and classified by editing software and algorithmic sorting. The approach draws on early 1900s German art historian Aby Waburg���s image research and media archaeology, that are connected to film studies inspired by the phenomenology of the body and Gilles Deleuze���s film-philosophy. The first main chapter, ���Montage���, analyses montage, gestural and postural images, and colors in addiction films. The second main chapter, ���Thingness���, focuses on the close-ups of material objects and faces, and their relation to the theme of spirituality in cinema and art history, The study argues that the cinema engages the spectator to "feel" what addiction is through everyday experience and art historical imagery. There is a particular, historically transmitted cinematic iconography of addiction that is profane, material, thing-centered, abject, and repetitive. The experience of being addicted is visualized through montages of images characterized by dark and earthy colors, horizontal compositions and downward- directed movements. This is very profane and secular imagery that, however, circulates image-historical traces of Christian iconography, such as that of being in the grip of an unknown power.

Electrocortical responses in reward paradigms and their variation related to personality

This thesis was conducted in order to investigate two issues: (1) how sensitive event related potentials (ERPs), and more specifically the medial frontal negativity and the P3 components, are to the valence and magnitude of reward-related stimuli, and (2) whether individual differences have an effect on the sensitivity of these ERP components to these characteristics. This was investigated using two reward-related paradigms. In the "pure gambling task" participants were asked to choose between two cards, each containing varying dollar amounts (large or small). The outcome of the choice (i.e., win or loss) was revealed after the choice was made. Additionally, participants were shown whether the non-chosen card would have been a win or a loss. In the "simple response task", participants were presented with five cues (large win, large loss, small win, small loss or zero) that labelled the trial as either a potential win, a potential loss or no change. Following the cue, a target appeared on the screen and the participant's task was to press the response key while the target was still visible. A success led to a win (gain in money) or no loss (no change) depending on the cue. Thirty participants completed both tasks; afterwards they filled out a set of questionnaires measuring personality and other individual differences relating to risk-taking behaviour. The results of both tasks showed that ERP components can differentiate between the valence and magnitude of reward-related stimuli, although no single component was uniquely related to either of the characteristics as previous suggested in the literature. Additionally, the context of the stimulus presentation (e.g., the task structure, condition within the task) affected the relationships between the ERP components and stimulus characteristics.