Table 1.

Overview of possible disorder categories for “PG” and central research findings in relation to “PG”.

	Impulse Control Disorders	Substance-related and Addictive Disorder	Pathological Gambling
Primary diagnostic criteria	Repeated, intense urges Tension before the act and relief afterwards Preoccupation with thoughts or mental images	A strong desire or sense of compulsion to take the drug Lack of control	A strong desire or sense of compulsion to gamble Lack of control
Key behavioral characteristics	Repetitive behaviors that are not pleasurable; characterized by tension beforehand and relief afterwards	Repetitive, reward-related acts that are pleasurable at the beginning	Repetitive reward-related acts that are pleasurable at the beginning
Comorbidities	Not frequently co-occurring with “PG”	Frequently co-occurring with “PG”	Frequently co-occurring with “SADs” but not with “ICDs”
Key brain structures	Not known for pyromania and kleptomania; likely IFC due to its role in impulse control	PFC-striatum circuitry At the beginning ventral striatum; later stages dorsal striatum	PFC-striatum circuitry At the beginning ventral striatum; later stages dorsal striatum
Compulsivity and/or impulsivity	Impulsivity	At the beginning impulsivity; later stages compulsivity	At the beginning impulsivity; later stages compulsivity
Reward sensitivity	Not known; not a central aspect of the disease	Decreased sensitivity to non-drug rewards; increased sensitivity to drug rewards	Decreased sensitivity to non-drug rewards; increased sensitivity to gambling-related rewards

Abbreviations: IFC: inferior frontal cortex; PFC: prefrontal cortex