BIOLOGICAL EXPLANATION FOR ICD'S

Question 1

What is the striatum?

Answer 1

• Part of the basal ganglia.
• Involved in decision making, habit-formation and reward.

Question 2

What is reward defiency syndrome?

Answer 2

• Involved increased need for dopamine due to increased tolerance

Question 3

Explain dopamine’s role in Impulse Control Disorders?

Answer 3

1. Dopamine defiency: ICD individuals may have lower baseline dopamine levels- causing them to seek out risky behaviours for a dopamine surge.
2. During the act: their reward centers are simulated, releasing dopamine, and creating short-term reward.
3. Compulsive: However, when these behaviours become compulsive, dopamine levels in the striatum decreases (due to inc tolerance for dopamine). Resulting in the behaviour being performed compulsively to regain that same feeling.
4. Reward defiency: This cycle is linked to reward defiecency syndrome.

Question 4

Another biological explanation for ICDS are that ICDS are side effects?

Answer 4

• Kleptomania, gambling disorder, shopping addictions could be possible side-effects of using synthetic dopamine for treatment of disorders such as Parkinson’s disease (as similar symptoms emerge)
• Synthetic dopamine is used to treat Parkinson’s by increasing dopamine activity in the brain.
  (suggests link between dopamine and ICDS)

Question 5

Name 1 strength and 1 weakness of this expalantion?

Answer 5

• Strength= Biological basis- provides a scientific, neurological explanation for why some people develop ICDs, linking them to dopamine dysfunction rather than just personality or choice.
• Weakness= Reductionist- oversimplifies complex human behavior by focusing only on biology, ignoring psychological and social factors (e.g., upbringing, stress, peer influence).

Doesn’t Explain Why Some People Develop ICDs and Others Don’t – If RDS is purely biological, why do some people with low dopamine develop ICDs while others don’t?

Question 6

Summarise the role of dopamine in ICD’s?

Answer 6

• Genetic basis: Individuals may inherit genetic variants which reduce the density of the dopamine D2 receptors in the brain’s reward pathways (reduces the effect of dopamine).
• Baseline definency: This genetic predisposition results in chronically low dopamine levels (hypodopaminergic state)- where individuals experinces reduces pleasure from every day activities.
• Compensatory risk taking: To counteract this deficiency, indviduals engage in high-simulation activities that produce intense dopamine release (relieves reward deficit)
• Neuoradaptive changes: Repeated release of dopamine results in brain developing a tolerance (creates a cycle of complusion similar to substance addiction).

Question 7

What did Linnet et al (2011) find in terms of dopamine dysregulation and pathological gambling?

Answer 7

PET scans show reduced D2/D3 receptors in gamblers’ striatum (similar to substance addiction