Last week I posted about what I refer to as "The Dopamine Problem," the ethical grey areas that surround dopamine-related behavioral problems. This week, an interesting story emerged about people taking dopamine-agonists for
restless leg syndrome suddenly developing compulsive gambling habits. From a
press release on the Mayo Clinic study:
Compulsive gambling with extreme losses -- in two cases, greater than $100,000 -- by people without a prior history of gambling problems has been linked to a class of drugs commonly used to treat the neurological disorder restless legs syndrome (RLS). A new Mayo Clinic study is the first to describe this compulsive gambling in RLS patients who are being treated with medications that stimulate dopamine receptors in the brain.
This is funny because I actually know a guy who is working for a pharmaceutical company right now doing research on how dopamine-mimics typically used in Parkinson's disease might be marketed towards people with RLS, a "syndrome" only in that your jittery leg might bother the hyper-sensitive person sitting next to you. My theory is that soothing repetitive movement like rocking, leg wagging, and wiggling actually increases dopamine release, which is why these activities can also be considered foreplay. So why treat something that is a natural remedy in the first place?
