Gambling-related harms cost over £1 billion annually in the UK. Considering gambling prevalence and the number of people receiving treatment in the UK, it is estimated that only 5% of individuals who experience gambling disorder or problematic gambling undertake therapy. Given this low percentage, it is essential to gain a better understanding of a wide range of treatment approaches that are easily delivered and capable of reducing gambling harms.

Various brain regions and neural signalling pathways regulate cognitive-behavioural processes that influence gambling (e.g., excessive motivation, inflexible decision-making, altered affective states, and heightened impulsivity and compulsivity). While the fundamental neuroscience of drug addictions has been investigated for decades, the brain’s involvement in problematic or harmful gambling is less well understood. Gaining insight into the biological bases of problematic/harmful gambling vulnerability and escalation may help researchers develop individualised treatment plans, supporting people who want to abstain.

This symposium brings together UK researchers who study the neurobiology of gambling, risky decision-making, and context-influenced choices to share their research and initiate plans for future projects. The event hopes to foster collaboration between behavioural neuroscientists, health professionals, and those with lived experience through audience engagement. Discussions will help guide novel research programmes that are clinic- and experience-informed, thereby accelerating our understanding of the neurobiology of problematic/harmful gambling and its treatment.

 

Schedule & Speakers

13:30-14:00: Welcome (coffee and snacks in the lobby)
14:00-14:20: Introduction (Prof Henrietta Bowden-Jones OBE DL / Dr Bryan Singer)
14:20-14:50: Dr Bryan Singer, University of Sussex
14:50-15:20: Dr Kate Peters, University of Sussex
15:20-15:50: Dr Nima Khalighinejad, University of Oxford
15:50-16:10: Break (coffee and snacks in the lobby)
16:10-16:40: Prof David Belin, University of Cambridge
16:40-17:10: Dr Jeffrey Erlich, Sainsbury Wellcome Center at University College London
17:10-17:40: Questions & Panel Discussion (Facilitated by Prof Henrietta Bowden-Jones OBE DL, Consultant Psychiatrist)
17:40-18:00: Wrap-Up

We wish to acknowledge the Academic Forum for the Study of Gambling (AFSG) for providing funding for this project. The views expressed are the views of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the AFSG. 
The symposium is co-sponsored by the Sussex Addiction Research & Intervention Centre (SARIC).