In contrast to hard neurological signs localizable to a specific brain site, their soft counterparts are attributed to wider brain regions and functionally connected neuroanatomical systems, involved in integrative neurological functions such as sensory perception, coordination and motor sequencing. In this regard, neurological soft signs (NSSs) are reliable –, easily administered and temporally stable, markers of neurological compromise, which impose fewer cognitive demands than neuropsychological tests and are therefore less influenced by performance confounds. Neurological assessment paradigms may be of value in revealing cortical abnormalities in PG. Additionally, some results may reflect poor motivation and attention, rather than PG-related primary neuropathology, which has not yet been well defined. The nonspecificity of PG neuropsychological findings may be partially attributable to the multidimensionality of the tests employed. Likewise, neuropsychological impairments are commonly documented in PG patients –, but their role in the course of the disorder remains unclear, as they do not reliably reflect the severity of gambling problems. To improve prevention and treatment of PG, it is important to identify its behavioral markers and their neural correlates.Ī relatively consistent finding in functional brain imaging studies of PG is failure of prefrontal cortical areas to activate when challenged by cognitive tasks that normally evoke cerebral blood flow and metabolic responses in these regions –. It may only become noticeable in later stages of the illness, with the emergence of highly visible behaviors including attempted suicide in up to 24% of untreated individuals –. These estimates are likely conservative, given that PG is not a conspicuous addiction, and it is devoid of typical symptoms of intoxication, needle marks, or overdose. Pathological gambling afflicts up to 5% of the general adult population and it costs American society an estimated $54 billion annually due to crime, decreased productivity, and bankruptcies –.

Parallel to the ongoing expansion of legalized gambling activities is an increase in the prevalence of pathological gambling (PG).

What is softest mean in gambling