An observational study in Gambling Addiction, sponsored by Hôpital le Vinatier. Recruiting at 1 site in France. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 65 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2025-07-17.
Sponsored by Hôpital le Vinatier · Observational
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.
Background Gambling addiction has often been conceptualized as the result of reward processing dysfunction in the brain, particularly in the striatum, a key structure of the reward system. Although a number of studies have provided support for this hypothesis, neuroimaging studies have produced inconsistent results, suggesting either hypo- or hyper-reactivity to rewards in gambling addiction. These inconsistencies have been the subject of intense debate, but remain unexplained to this day, hampering our understanding of the disease and the development of effective therapeutic strategies. The aim of this project is to test a new neurobiological model of gambling addiction that has the potential to reconcile these inconsistencies. A particular feature of this model is that it 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 in gambling addiction: striatal hyper-reactivity to reward combined with amygdala hypo-reactivity to emotional stimuli, and striatal hypo-reactivity to reward combined with amygdala hyper-reactivity to emotional stimuli. The investigators further hypothesize that these two brain phenotypes 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. To do this, the investigators will use Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA), which involves using participants' smartphones to perform repeated, real-time sampling of their gambling behavior and emotions in real life. The investigators hypothesize that a significant difference in reactivity between the striatum and the amygdala will be associated with a strong correlation between 1) gambling behavior and positive emotions in impulsive gamblers, and 2) gambling behavior and negative emotions in emotional gamblers.
Study design The primary hypothesis will be tested using cognitive tasks performed by participants in an fMRI scanner. In order to assess striatal reactivity to reward, the investigators will use fMRI combined with a reward task. The investigators will use fMRI combined with a facial emotion recognition task to measure the reactivity of the amygdala to emotional stimuli. These tasks will allow the investigators to establish the brain phenotypes characterizing impulsive and emotional gamblers, and test the hypothesis that these phenotypes are diametrically opposed in these two sub-populations.
The secondary hypothesis will be tested by combining fMRI measures with behavioral measures from everyday life (EMA). In concrete terms, gamblers will be followed longitudinally for up to 4 weeks, and will receive short questionnaires 3 to 4 times a day on their smartphones to assess their gambling behavior (number of hours spent gambling, amount of money spent...) as well as their emotions (positive and negative). These measurements will enable the investigators to test the hypothesis that the brain phenotypes described above are capable of predicting the relationship between emotions and gambling behavior in everyday life.
Study population This study will focus on individuals with gambling problems. This category includes individuals suffering from gambling addiction as defined by the DSM-5, and individuals suffering from "problem gambling", just below the DSM-5 diagnostic threshold. Extending recruitment to individuals with problem gambling should facilitate recruitment, while considering the existence of a continuum of gambling problems.
The study will also include a control group of healthy subjects with no gambling problems and no psychiatric comorbidities.
The plan is to recruit 60 gamblers and 60 healthy controls.
158 studies on the registry are indexed under Gambling; 42 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 120 is below the median of 213 across 23 observational studies indexed under Gambling.
Browse Gambling studies →Hôpital le Vinatier is the lead sponsor of 106 studies on the registry; 41 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Two groups: 60 individuals with gambling problems (i.e. Number of DSM-5 critera for gambling disorder ≥3) and 60 matched healthy controls
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
For all participants (gamblers and healthy subjects)
For gamblers :
For healthy subjects :
Exclusion Criteria:
For all participants (gamblers and healthy subjects):
For gamblers:
For healthy subjects :
- Any DSM-5 diagnosis except nicotine addiction
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
The American Psychiatric Association’s manual of mental health diagnoses. DSM-5 (2013, revised as DSM-5-TR in 2022) replaced DSM-IV, and some studies still name the older edition. “Meets DSM criteria for …” means diagnosed by that edition’s diagnostic criteria, usually by a clinician in an interview.
A reason a treatment, test or procedure should not be given to a particular person, such as an allergy, another illness or a medicine they take.
Informed consent
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
DSM diagnostic criteria
The American Psychiatric Association’s manual of mental health diagnoses. DSM-5 (2013, revised as DSM-5-TR in 2022) replaced DSM-IV, and some studies still name the older edition. “Meets DSM criteria for …” means diagnosed by that edition’s diagnostic criteria, usually by a clinician in an interview.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Contraindication
A reason a treatment, test or procedure should not be given to a particular person, such as an allergy, another illness or a medicine they take.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
This group includes individuals suffering from gambling addiction as defined by the DSM-5, and individuals suffering from "problem gambling", just below the DSM-5 diagnostic threshold.
Other: fMRI · Other: Ecological Momentary Assessment
Matched healthy individuals
Other: fMRI
A brain imaging technique that measures in vivo the activity of brain areas by detecting local changes in blood flow.
studies people's thoughts and behaviour in their daily lives by repeatedly collecting data in an individual's normal environment, at or close to the time they carry out that behaviour
Also known as: EMA
Striatal BOLD response to reward outcomes and amygdala BOLD response to emotional stimuli
Striatal BOLD response: average BOLD signal as measured with fMRI in the striatum in response to monetary reward outcomes in a gambling task. amygdala BOLD response: average BOLD signal as measured with fMRI in the amygdala in response to emotional faces in a facial emotion recognition task.
Time frame: 4 weeks
Correlation between emotional states and gambling behavior in everyday life
Emotions and gambling behavior in everyday life will be measured using Ecological Momentary Assessment on gamblers' smartphones
Time frame: 4 weeks
Plan to share: No
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
Started Mar 2024 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for May 2027, 37 months after the start.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
Eligibility is decided by the study team. Share this record with your doctor or contact the team directly.
Contact study teamGet an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.
Sign in to followQuestions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.
Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.
Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.