11. FUNCTIONAL MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING OF PATHOLOGICAL GAMBLERS

By: Dr. David Crockford (Principal Investigator) -- Project Approved 2001-02

An evaluation of the differences in brain function between pathological gamblers and a normal 'control' group is the focus of this study. The pilot project uses functional magnetic resonance imaging in order to understand the underlying neurobiologic basis of pathological gambling and potentially aid in its treatment. Dr. David Crockford (PI), Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine; Dr. Bradley Goodyear (CI), Department of Clinical Neurosciences & Radiology; Dr. Hermano Tavares (CI), Department of Psychiatry, Sao Paulo Medical School; Dr. Nady el-Guebaly (CI), Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Addiction Centre - Foothills Hospital; Dr. Richard Frayne (Consultant), Department of Clinical Neurosciences & Radiology; University of Calgary.

Status (Complete):

The findings of this study relate to the importance of memory for the interpretation of gambling as a persistent behaviour. Results indicate that exposure to game specific cues mobilizes the brain's memory of prior gambling experiences to aid in planning for recurrent gambling behaviour. The findings may represent a neurobiologic marker for switching from voluntary to persistent addictive behaviour.

Scholarly conference papers based on this research were presented at the 2003 Canadian Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting in Halifax and the 2004 American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting in New York City. A scholarly article reporting research findings appeared in the peer-reviewed journal Biological Psychiatry.

Crockford, D. N., Goodyear, B., Edwards, J., Quickfall, J., & el-Guebaly, N. (2005). Cue-induced brain activity in pathological gamblers. Biological Psychiatry, 58, 787-795.
doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2005.04.037

Crockford, D., Goodyear, B., Tavares, H., & el-Guebaly, N. (2002). Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of pathological gamblers: A pilot study. Canadian Psychiatric Association, Annual Meeting Syllabus, p. 83.

Crockford, D., Goodyear, B., Tavares, H., Quickfall, J., & el-Guebaly, N. (2002). Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of pathological gamblers. American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry, Proceedings, p. 19.

Crockford. D., el-Guebaly, N., & Addington, D. (2002). Management of early psychosis patients with comorbid substance use disorders. Canadian Psychiatric Association, Annual Meeting Syllabus, p. 77.

The Alberta Gaming Research Institute provides grant funding to support peer-endorsed academic investigations into many aspects of gambling research. The contents, recommendations, and findings of the associated research reports, posted on this website, represent the views of the researcher(s).

Last Updated: 05/25/06