Testing the Interplay of Gambling, Emotion and Reward

Background The nature and direction of dysfunctional reward processing in gambling disorder remains unclear. We aim to test a novel neurobiological model of gambling addiction, that takes into account inter-individual differences, as well as the multifactorial nature of gaming addiction. Objectives Primary objective: This project will test the hypothesis that there are two opposite brain phenotypes that characterize two distinct subpopulations of gamblers, so-called impulsive vs. emotional, respectively. Secondary objective: This project will also seek to determine whether the brain phenotypes proposed above are capable of predicting gambling behavior outside the laboratory. Study design The primary objective will be tested using a reward task and a facial emotion recognition task performed by participants in an fMRI scanner. The secondary objective will be tested by combining fMRI measures with behavioral measures from everyday life collected via Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA). Study population This study will focus on individuals with gambling problems, as well healthy subjects with no gambling problems and no psychiatric comorbidities. Outcomes/Endpoints Primary endpoint: We will compare striatum and amygdala reactivity between the three groups of impulsive gamblers, emotional gamblers and healthy subjects. Secondary endpoint: We will assess the correlation between emotional states and gambling behavior in everyday life, based on striatum and amygdala reactivity, using multiple linear regression models.