2003-08-17
... ? New Scientist : Parkinson's drugs linked to heavy gamblingThe researchers examined the medical records of 1884 patients seen over one year and found nine who had developed gambling behaviour severe enough to cause financial hardship. All the patients were taking levodopa - which transforms into a crucial neurotransmitter called dopamine in the brain. But their new gambling habits appeared to be associated with another drug they were taking, a dopamine agonist. These activate the dopamine receptors in the brain.
