Question

Please answer each in detail with examples. Thanks!

A. The research on sensitization of the nucleus accumbens dealt with addictive drugs, mainly cocaine. Would you expect a gambling addiction to have similar effects? How could someone test this possibility?

B. Some people have suggested that ECT relieves depression by causing people to forget the events that caused it. What evidence opposes this hypothesis?

C. Certain people suffer from what they describe as “post-Christmas depression,” a feeling of letdown after all the excitement of the holiday season. What other explanation can you offer?

Answer 1

• A.Sensitization of the nucleus accumbens has to do with certain stimuli increasing the response of the nucleus accumbens by way of producing an increase in the release of dopamine or norepineephrine which results in the reinforcement of an experience. This is an extremely important part of an addiction. Addiction is a repeated action orbehavior in order to receive a reward; however, often times the longer this action/behavior is produced the more it takes to receive the same level of reward.
• According to Kalat, gambling is just as much of an addiction as drugs such as cocaine.In fact, they both produce the release of dopamine, so it would suggest that they would also have similar effects. Similar to drugs, people with a gambling addiction have extreme cravings that can be triggered by cues.They can also go through withdraw.
• Therefore, the sensitization of the nucleus accumbens in reference to a gambling addiction is how the individual learns that a particular behavior, the gambling, produces a reward, the dopamine release, which makes the person want to gamble more. This feeling is the exacerbated when the level of reward diminishes as time goeson and more is needed to get the same response. Also, because the body gets used to that particular stimuli, it becomes more sensitive of it and less sensitive of other stimuli.
• One way to test whether or not this was the case would be to perform an experiment in which theactivity in the nucleus accumbens was measured and compared between when an addicted individual was taking part in gambling and when the individual was taking part in a control activity, something supposed to be pleasurable and rewarding. If the results show that there is more activity during the gambling activity, than this would support the idea that gambling has similar effects to that of drugs like cocaine.
• B.This remark is clearly not accurate,as many people are depressed without specific reasons or events which have caused it.Furthermore,ECT simply doesn't cause that type of memory loss. As Kalat explains,the most frequent side effect of ECT is memory loss,but when the shock is delivered,limiting it to a particular area of brain-the right hemisphere,reduces the memory loss.Also,the memory loss is incredibly temporary,lasting just few months.
• C.Actually,what people define as post-christmas depression might be a manifestation of Seasonal Affective disorder (SAD).This disorder is mostly agravated in people who live near the poles where winters are long,thus, is a condition treated by bright lights.This disorder is not as agravated as standard depression but can leave the person feeling dull, lethargic,loss of energy,losing interest in activities once enjoyed,oversleeping,weight gain etc.