NCRG Funds More Research

WASHINGTON, DC – (PRESS RELEASE) -- Can animal behavior teach us about pathological gambling? What are the gambling patterns of college students? And how does brain function differ between at-risk and non-problem gamblers? Scientists may begin to develop the answers to these questions and more thanks to $1 million in new research grants announced today by the Institute for Research on Pathological Gambling and Related Disorders. The grants, awarded on behalf of the National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG), bring the organization's total dollar amount awarded since 1996 to nearly $10 million.

Recipients of the eight new grants were selected by the Institute's peer review panel, a group of distinguished researchers in the field of addictions appointed annually by the Institute to select the research grant awards. The panel reviewed 40 grant proposals submitted in response to three requests for applications. Of the eight grants awarded, three projects focus on neuroscience, three are incentive projects providing seed money to new investigators entering the field of pathological gambling research, and two are translational projects, supporting research that can be applied to prevention and intervention strategies.

"Supporting high quality scientific research is crucial to understanding the drivers behind not only gambling disorders, but all addictive disorders," said Phil Satre, chairman of the NCRG and former chairman and CEO of Harrah's Entertainment, Inc. "And with every grant awarded by the NCRG and the Institute, we are one step closer to improved methods of diagnosis, intervention, treatment and addiction prevention."

The following studies were awarded funding in their respective categories:

Neuroscience Research on Gambling Disorders

* Donald W. Black, M.D. from the Carver College of Medicine at the University of Iowa received a $172,500 grant to study how disordered gamblers differ from non-problem gamblers in executive function, attention, and impulsivity and how these deficits influence poor decision-making and the development of gambling disorders.

* Brett A. Clementz, Ph.D. from the University of Georgia was awarded $167,088 to compare the brain activity of healthy gamblers and disordered gamblers while engaging in behavioral tasks of decision- making.

* Jacob Linnet, Ph.D. from the Arhaus University Hospital in Denmark was awarded $149,185 to investigate the role of the neurotransmitter dopamine in pathological gambling and its relationship with the distorted thinking characteristic of gamblers who continue to place wagers despite mounting losses and adverse consequences to their personal lives.

Grants for Translational Research on Gambling and Gambling Disorders

* Edward Gottheil, M.D., Ph.D. from the University of Washington was awarded $172,500 to explore whether the cues and motivations of disordered gamblers are always the same or if they vary between different types of gambling. The study will also consider the relationship between gambling and alcohol use.

* Anne Helen Skinstad, Ph.D. from the University of Iowa and the Prairielands Addiction Technology Transfer Center was awarded $168,941 to conduct a national survey of gambling treatment professionals and develop a strategy for creating an evidence-based curriculum for delivery to gambling treatment professionals.

Incentive Grants for New Investigators

* Catharine A. Winstanley, Ph.D. from University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center was awarded $57,500 to investigate the viability of an animal model of gambling behavior that will provide insights into the neural and neurochemical basis of gambling disorders.

* Shelly B. Flagel, Ph.D. from the Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Institute at the University of Michigan received $56,197 to experiment with an animal model for pathological gambling that addresses both the impulsivity and risk-taking dimensions of the disorder by studying rats selectively bred on the basis of a novelty-seeking trait.

* Anna E. Goudrian, Ph.D. from the University of Missouri was awarded $57,436 to examine changes over time in gambling patterns, as well as the incidence of at-risk gambling and gambling problems, in a four- year longitudinal study of 2,400 college students.

According to Christine Reilly, executive director of the Institute, the goal for these new projects is to continue building the knowledge base about gambling disorders. "We are especially excited about the two animal studies which have the potential to change the way research is done. This is truly uncharted territory for the field of gambling studies," Reilly said.

The Institute for Research on Pathological Gambling and Related Disorders was created in 2000 when the NCRG awarded a multi-million dollar contract to Harvard Medical School and transferred research grant making responsibilities to the Division on Addictions. Led by Dr. Howard Shaffer, associate professor of psychology in psychiatry at Harvard, the Institute's internal research program has conducted some of the most seminal investigations in the field of pathological gambling research including the first reliable prevalence estimates, the first national study of college gambling and the first study of the health risks of casino employees.

In addition to the management of the NCRG's grants program, the Institute also co-sponsors the annual NCRG Conference on Gambling and Addiction, which is a highlight of the NCRG's education initiatives. This year's conference will take place November 12-14 at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. For more information about education and research initiatives by the National Center for Responsible Gaming or the Institute for Research on Pathological Gambling and Related Disorders call Christine Reilly at 701-306-8604.