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Cohort Gene Study (LLLP)
Project Approved 2007-08

Research team/Steering Committee: Dr. Nady el-Guebaly, Head, Addiction Centre, Foothills Medical Centre & Professor, Dept. of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, U of Calgary; Dr. David Hodgins, Professor, Dept. of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, U of Calgary; Dr. Garry Smith, Gambling Research Specialist, Government Studies, Faculty of Extension & Professor Emeritus, U of  Alberta; Dr. Rob  Williams, Professor, Addictions Counselling Program, Faculty of Health Sciences, U of Lethbridge; Dr. Rob Wood, Associate Professor, Dept. of Sociology, Faculty of Arts, U of Lethbridge; Dr. Don Schopflocher, Associate Professor, Faculty of Nursing, U of Alberta; Dr. Jim Kennedy, Director of Neuroscience Research at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Head of Neurogenetics Section, CAMH, and Head, Neuroscience Program, Dept. of Psychiatry, and I’Anson Professor, Dept. of Psychiatry & Institute of Medical Science, U of Toronto; Dr Nigel Turner, Research Scientist, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH)

This study is an extension of the Institute's Leisure, Lifestyle, Lifecycle Project (LLLP), the largest ever sponsored by the Institute.  Its primary aim is to investigate genetic aspects of gambling and disordered gambling.

Status (Complete)

A total of 678 individuals provided blood or saliva samples for the cohort gene study. This is 37.8% of the original sample of surviving participants from the main study (678/1792). It represents one of the world’s largest samples of DNA from gamblers.

Researchers at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) are currently examining the blood and saliva for specific genetic markers that may be associated with pathological gambling. The article entitled “Association of dopamine D2 receptor gene variants and risk of gambling behavior” was published in the journal Biological Psychology. A second article entitled “Replication of CNR1, GABRA2, GABRA6 and MAMDC1 genetic associations with neuroticism in healthy European Caucasians” is currently under review. Two presentations were completed for the Alberta Gaming Research Institute and the Canadian Human Genetics Conference. Additional publications are in progress.
 

Scholarly Articles or Working Papers:

Aleksandrova, L. R., Souza, R. P., Bagby, M. R., Casey, D. M., Hodgins, D. C., Smith, G. J., Williams, R. J., Schopflocher, D. P., Wood, R. T., el-Guebaly, N., Lobo, D. S. S., & Kennedy, J. L. (submitted). Replication of CNR1, GABRA2, GABRA6 and MAMDC1 genetic associations with neuroticism in healthy European Caucasians.

Lobo, D. S. S., Souza, R. P., Tong, R. P., Casey, D. M., Hodgins, D. C., Smith, G. J., Williams, R. J., Schopflocher, D. P., Wood, R. T., el-Guebaly, N., & Kennedy, J. L. (2010). Association of functional variants in the dopamine D2-like receptors with risk for gambling behaviour in healthy Caucasian subjects. Biological Psychology, 85, 33-37. doi:10.1016/j.biopsycho.2010.04.008

Scholarly Conference Papers:

Tong, R. P., Souza, R. P., Freeman, N., Tampakeras, M., Shaikh, S., Casey, D. M., Hodgins, D. C., Smith, G. J., Williams, R. J., Schopflocher, D. P., Wood, R. T., el-Guebaly, N., Lobo, D. S. S., & Kennedy, J. L. (2010, November). Genetic association study of the monoamine oxidase: A gene polymorphism (MAO-A VNTR) with gambling behavior. Poster presented at the annual American Society of Human Genetics Conference, Washington, DC.

Tong, R. P., Zai, C., Freeman, N., Tampakeras, M., Shaikh, S., Casey, D. M., Hodgins, D. C., Smith, G. J., Williams, R. J., Schopflocher, D. P., Wood, R. T., el-Guebaly, N., Lobo, D. S. S., & Kennedy, J. L. (2010, April). Genetic association study of the serotonin transporter polymorphism (5HTTLPR) with gambling behavior. Paper presented at the 3rd annual Canadian Human Genetics Conference, Saint Sauveur, Canada.

Lobo, D. S. S., Souza, R. P., Tong, R. P., Casey, D. M., Hodgins, D. C., Smith, G. J., Williams, R. J., Schopflocher, D. P., Wood, R. T., el-Guebaly, N., & Kennedy, J. L. (2010, April). Functional variants in the dopamineD2-like receptors are associated with lower risk for gambling behavior in healthy Caucasian subjects. Paper presented to the Annual meeting of the Alberta Gaming Research Institute, Banff, AB.

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).

Time Frame: November 1, 2007 to December 31, 2010

Last Updated: 07/14/11