Crockford - Alberta Gaming Research Institute

PROBLEM AND PATHOLOGICAL GAMBLING IN PARKINSON’S DISEASE

Project Approved 2004-05

Dr. David Crockford (Principal Investigator)

Dept. of Psychiatry, U of Calgary

Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disease resulting from a loss of dopamine producing cells in the brain. Recent reports have described treatment-emergent gambling problems in some patients, especially those treated with dopamine-enhancing agents. Reports to date have not examined patients in a systematized fashion using validated instruments, nor have they attempted to delineate whether emergent gambling problems relate to comorbidity, treatment of the Parkinson’s disease process, or cognitive status. A study of patients with moderate to advanced Parkinson’s disease would help to characterize this phenomenon and form a basis for further understanding of the neurobiological basis of problem and pathological gambling.

Status (Complete)

The research project is now complete. The manuscript from the project is in its final stages of revision prior to its submission. The study attained its desired objectives to determine whether or not the 12-month prevalence of problem and pathological gambling in patients with Parkinson’s disease is greater than in a comparable community sample and whether or not any found increased prevalence could be attributable to co-morbidity.

Primary results were that the 12 month prevalence of problem and pathological gambling in the Parkinson’s disease sample was 9.3% compared to 1.6% in the community sample. The increased prevalence was not accounted for by demographic factors, cognitive impairment, co-morbid depression/anxiety symptoms or substance abuse. All patients were on dopamine replacement and/or agonists. The increase prevalence was not specific to the type of dopamine agonist used, however, most subjects with problem or pathological gambling reported a temporal association between the onset of gambling and starting treatment for Parkinson’s disease. Conclusions from the study then confirm that problem and pathological gambling is more prevalent in patients with moderate to severe Parkinson’s disease treated with dopamine replacement and/or agonists. The increased prevalence is not attributable to psychiatric or substance use co-morbidity.

Scholarly Publications:

Crockford, D., Quickfall, J., Currie, S., Furtado, S., Suchowersky, O., & el-Guebaly, N. (2008). Prevalence of problem and pathological gambling in Parkinson’s disease. Journal of Gambling Studies, 24, 411-422.

Scholarly conference papers:

Quickfall, J., Crockford, D., Currie, S., Suchowersky, O., Furtado, S., el-Guebaly, N. Parkinson Disease and Pathological Gambling. Canadian Psychiatric Association, 56th Annual Meeting Program 2006, Toronto, ON (accepted, in press).

Quickfall, J., Crockford, D., Currie, S., Suchowersky, O., Furtado, S., el-Guebaly, N. Problem and Pathological Gambling in Parkinson’s Disease: Preliminary Prevalence Data. Canadian Psychiatric Association, 55th Annual Meeting Program 2005, Vancouver, BC, p. 168.

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: 01/25/07