Intermediate doses of d-amphetamine promote perseverative risky choices following the presentation of win-paired cues

Choosing a relatively large reward with a lower chance of payoff compared with a relatively small reward with a higher chance of payoff can be operationalized as a risky choice. Risky choices are often observed in humans through gambling. Gambling disorder is characterized by excessive gambling that results in detrimental personal, social, and financial outcomes. Clarifying mechanisms that contribute to perseverative gambling could help clarify why problem gambling may occur. The presentation of win-paired cues is suggested to contribute to excessive gambling because of a conditioned-reinforcing function. Stimulant drugs have been shown to enhance conditioned reinforcers and to increase risky choice under certain experimental conditions. The present study was designed to examine how the combined administration of d-amphetamine, a commonly prescribed psychomotor stimulant, and the presentation of win-paired cues on winning and losing trials would impact risky choice patterns in a probability-discounting procedure in Sprague-Dawley rats. d-Amphetamine produced dose-dependent increases in risky choice with or without win-paired cues. Win-paired cues alone did not alter absolute levels of risky choice, but the combination of d-amphetamine and win-paired cues promoted perseveration for the risk-associated response option. This effect was particularly evident following losing trials where the win-paired cue was presented. Results are discussed in the context of electronic gambling machine use, and suggestions for research with more commonly used stimulants are offered.