effect on the brain

[gringo_nordestino]

does poker play/gambling have any effect on synapses (?) of the brain.. like they say cocaine use has a certain effect on the brain, nicotine, alcohol.. does the same apply here??

[naphand]

Every activity you indulge in has an effect (on the synapses of the) brain. If you are consciously aware of something (and a large number of things you are not conscious of) then your brain's synapses are firing away.

Some recent research looking at brain development in adult life has indicated that the learning of some skills (in this case juggling 3 balls, and corresponding studies of musicians) can have a temporary or permanent effect on regions of the brain - that is growth or change is observed correlated to the learning of the skill.

This may not seem surprising, considering that we develop callouses playing sports, our muscles grow if they are trained etc., but has not commonly been observed (perhaps not really studied) in the mature brain. Older people can certainly improve/maintain their brain functions by remaining mentally alert. So, yes it must have an effect.

Irregular sleep patterns, repeated exposure to stressful situations and compulsive gambling have been studied.... [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

There is bound to be an effect, but I am sure that much of the negative effects can be countered effectively. Such things as good diet, liquid intake, regular breaks, a good positive and relaxed attitude etc. will help. Perhaps our resident psychologist can add to this, as he is likely to have considered the impact of all these things on our heads (Al?). No-one, to my knowledge, has studied the effect of poker on the brain but, I stand to be corrected.

Personally, I find that I kinda swear a lot these days, have a habit of talking in poker terms to complete strangers, and have started to call bad drivers "morons". I think I might be a bad driver.... [img]/images/graemlins/mad.gif[/img]

Good question.

[toots]

The effect that drugs, such as cocaine, etc, have on the synapses is often to decrease the postsynaptic neuron's sensitivity to whatever neurotransmitter has been artificially increased. On the flip side, if the drug inhibits some neurtransmitter, the effect would be to increase the postsynaptic sensitivity.

These changes are often the result of the postsynaptic neuron growing or atrophying its receptors. The result is what we'd call "building a tolerance" for the drug - if cocaine causes greater release of monoamines like norepinephrine, then over time the postsynaptic neuron would lose some of its receptors to compensate, meaning that you'd need more of the drug to get the same effect as before.

The changes that would be caused by poker playing or gambling could be similar to that, and are also probably similar to any changes that would happen as a result of learning.

For instance, when you learn something, there's fair evidence to say that what's happening is that existing neurons (since the adult brain doesn't grow new ones) will form new connections between each other, or strengthen their existing connections by increasing the number of "projections" from one neuron to another. (somewhat analogous to growing more muscle)

There could also be some effect, similar to drug tolerance. If, for instance, winning some big pot causes a string to neurons to fire that result in that magic neuron that says "Oooh! That feels good!" getting hit, then lots of such events could well cause depletion of the presynaptic neuron's neurotransmitter in the short term (day) and or reduction in the sensitivity of the postsynaptic neuron in the longer term (month).

Which might mean that it would take a larger pot, or more frequent wins to get the same "Oooh! That feels good!" payoff.

The difference between that and the drug example, of course, is that with playing poker, it'd have more of a behavioral cause.

But, that's no surprise. To be rather explicit, one orgasm feels pretty good, but if you've just strung a few hundred together, then the next one probably isn't going to feel as good as the first (not that most would mind, I assume). It's just the law of diminishing returns.

So, does gambling have any effect on the synapses of the brain?

Yeah, probably. Learning the game would probably increase the number of synapses, or at the very least, change their organization. Getting that big payoff probably decreases your pleasure centers' sensitivity.

None would be particularly surprising.

[angry young man]

performing a mental activity isn't all that close to being the same thing as inserting too much of a toxic substance into your body. I would guess that poker almost definitely has a positive effect on the brain, same as doing crosswords or playing chess. That is assuming you are actually a thinking poker player which of course isn't the case for most. For most it's probably the equivalent of watching TV. I'm kindof guessing that this was a joke post but I answered anyway since it's a slow day.

[gringo_nordestino]

nope.. it wasnt a joke.. its serious.. let me go one step further.. i have heard that gambling has an effect on the brain.. the thrill of a win.. poker isnt gambling in the same sense that craps and roulette are.. but, it includes the thrill of a victory.. i was curious as to the corolation there.. they say chocolate releases the same chemical as sexual activity.. they recently announced nicotine affects the same part of the brain that cocaine does.. i was curious if poker play had any effects as well..

[bigpooch]

So I must be a psycho: I derive no enjoyment from winning a
pot regardless of the amount of money in it! But in the
past, I derived satisfaction to see the worst players bust
out of the game. Do I need psychiatric help?

By the way, I have never been tempted to try recreational
drugs, except coffee just to stay awake. If I derive
enjoyment from other activities, then I assume by spending
more time on those activities will influence my mind in a
more significant manner than clicking on fold/call/raise
buttons!

[Gabe]

Winning or losing does. Endorphins, dopamine, adrenalin, etc.

[FredJones888]

its been proven that winning at gambling releases pleasure chemicals in the brain, some more than others. Also, whenever you learn a new skill, like learning a new card game, you are rewiring your brain.