Midbrain Mutiny: The Picoeconomics and Neuroeconomics of Disordered Gambling: Economic Theory and Cognitive Science [Pehme köide]

An analysis of how economic theories can be used to understand disordered andpathological gambling that calls on empirical evidence about behavior and the brain and argues thataddictive gambling is the basic form of all addiction.

The explanatory power of economic theory is tested by the phenomenon of irrationalconsumption, examples of which include such addictive behaviors as disordered and pathologicalgambling. Midbrain Mutiny examines different economic models of disorderedgambling, using the frameworks of neuroeconomics (which analyzes decision making in the brain) andpicoeconomics (which analyzes patterns of consumption behavior), and drawing on empirical evidenceabout behavior and the brain. The book describes addiction in neuroeconomic terms as chronicdisruption of the balance between the midbrain dopamine system and the prefrontal and frontalserotonergic system, and reviews recent evidence from trials testing the effectiveness ofantiaddiction drugs. The authors argue that the best way to understand disordered and addictivegambling is with a hybrid picoeconomic-neuroeconomic model.