Pathological GamblingNCT00580567
Impulsivity in Pathological Gambling
An observational study of Pathological Gambling, run by University of California, Los Angeles at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
The purpose of the this study is to compare pathological gamblers versus non-pathological gamblers using tests that measure different components of impulsivity. We aim to invite a total of 120 individuals to participate in this study. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Pathological Gambling
- How many people
- 120 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- Mar 2007to Aug 2009
- Phase
- Observational
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Study population: Community Sample
Who may be able to join
- 18 years or older
- Be able to speak, read and write in English
- Current diagnosis of pathological gambling (using DSM-IV criteria)
- South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS) score of 5 or above during screening
- Recent gambling activity -- at least once within one week prior to enrollment.
- Voluntarily given informed consent and signed the informed consent document.
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- Not currently seeking treatment for gambling
- 18 years or older
- Be able to speak, read and write in English
- South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS) score of 5 or less during screening
- Voluntarily given informed consent and signed the informed consent document
- Does not meet diagnosis of pathological gambling by DSM-IV criteria
- Not currently seeking treatment for gambling
Who cannot join
- Current treatment for pathological gambling, excluding involvement with Gamblers Anonymous
- Ongoing medication for any psychiatric disorders, including anti-psychotics, antidepressants, mood stabilizers, anxiolytics or sedative/hypnotics.
- Dependence by DSM-IV criteria on any psychoactive substance, excluding caffeine or nicotine
- Presence of clinically unstable medical disorders that could harm the subject if not treated immediately.
- Presence of any neurological or psychiatric disorders (as assessed by the SCID or MINI and BDI-II) that would require immediate treatment.
- Test positive urine toxicology for illicit drugs prior to enrollment
- Hamilton Depression Scale score of >17
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
United States1 site
UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute
Los Angeles, California, 90095
About this study
Official title: Impulsivity in Pathological Gambling: A Cross Sectional Analysis on Tests of Impulsivity Between Pathological Gamblers and a Non-pathological Control Group.
The purpose of the this study is to compare pathological gamblers versus non-pathological gamblers using tests that measure different components of impulsivity. We aim to invite a total of 120 individuals to participate in this study.
Impulsivity has been described as the cognitive inability to delay gratification, a failure to inhibit behavioral action or acting without forethought about consequences. Impulsivity has also been seen as a personality trait characterized by risk-taking or sensation seeking behavior. Pathological gamblers demonstrate aspects of impulsivity; they act without thinking, have difficult inhibiting urges to gamble and desire immediate gratification. The goal of this project is to clarify which components of impulsivity are associated with pathological gambling. Non-treatment seeking, pathological gamblers and controls will be recruited from the community and local casinos. Each participant will be administered a battery of tests that represent different operational definitions of impulsivity.
Read the detailed description
Personality traits of impulsivity will be measured with the Barrett Impulsiveness Scale and the NEO Personality Inventory-Revised. Behavioral components of impulsivity will be tested through delay and probability discounting tasks. Finally, measures of frontotemporal functioning are also included in a neuropsychology and neurocognitive battery. Recent studies have shown that these areas of the brain function differently in pathological gamblers; thus, the following neuropsychology/neurocognitive tests have been included: Attention/Information Processing Speed (via Simple Reaction Time Task and Continuous Performance Task), Episodic Memory (via Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised and Brief Visuospatial Memory Test), Executive/Frontal Lobe Measures (via Wechsler Memory Scale-III, Choice Reaction Time Task, Working Memory Task (N-back), Probabilistic Reversal Learning Task, and Stop-Signal Task). Between group comparisons on this battery of impulsivity tests will be made to clarify which components of impulsivity are associated with pathological gambling. Secondly, within-group analyses will be performed to correlate impulsivity to gambling severity. Lastly, an exploratory analysis of subtyping pathological gamblers by performances on tasks of impulsivity and types of gambling will be conducted.
- Conditions
- Pathological Gambling
- Keywords
- Impulsivity, Gambling, Pathological Gamblers, Problem Gamblers, Non-Pathological Gamblers, Risk-taking, Inhibition, Gambling Severity
- Medical subject headings
- Gambling, Impulsive Behavior, Risk-Taking, Inhibition, Psychological
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pathological Gamblers | |
| 2 | Non-Pathological Gamblers |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Barratt Impusivity Scale
Measured: 12 months
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted24 Dec 2007 (estimated)
- Study startMar 2007
- Primary completionAug 2009
- Study completionAug 2009
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Pathological GamblingStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by University of California, Los AngelesThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Observational
- Observational model
- Case-control
- Time perspective
- Cross-sectional
- Enrolment
- 120 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of California, Los Angeles
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Timothy Fong MD, National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
- Investigators
- Timothy W. Fong, M.D., Principal investigator, UCLA Gambling Studies Program
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT00580567
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- PA-00-004
- Other IDs
- K23DA019522, PA-00-004
- Status last verified
- Jun 2013
- First submitted
- 20 Dec 2007
- Last updated
- 4 Jun 2013
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 4 Jun 2013. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Impulsivity in Pathological Gambling: A Cross Sectional Analysis on Tests of Impulsivity Between Pathological Gamblers and a Non-pathological Control Group.
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT00580567
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- PA-00-004
- Conditions
- Pathological Gambling
- Keywords
- Impulsivity, Gambling, Pathological Gamblers, Problem Gamblers, Non-Pathological Gamblers, Risk-taking, Inhibition, Gambling Severity
- Study type
- Observational
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 120 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- University of California, Los AngelesUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
- Study start
- Mar 2007
- Primary completion
- Aug 2009 (actual)
- Study completion
- Aug 2009 (actual)
- First posted
- 24 Dec 2007 (estimated)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The purpose of the this study is to compare pathological gamblers versus non-pathological gamblers using tests that measure different components of impulsivity. We aim to invite a total of 120 individuals to participate in this study.
Impulsivity has been described as the cognitive inability to delay gratification, a failure to inhibit behavioral action or acting without forethought about consequences. Impulsivity has also been seen as a personality trait characterized by risk-taking or sensation seeking behavior. Pathological gamblers demonstrate aspects of impulsivity; they act without thinking, have difficult inhibiting urges to gamble and desire immediate gratification. The goal of this project is to clarify which components of impulsivity are associated with pathological gambling. Non-treatment seeking, pathological gamblers and controls will be recruited from the community and local casinos. Each participant will be administered a battery of tests that represent different operational definitions of impulsivity.
Detailed description
Personality traits of impulsivity will be measured with the Barrett Impulsiveness Scale and the NEO Personality Inventory-Revised. Behavioral components of impulsivity will be tested through delay and probability discounting tasks. Finally, measures of frontotemporal functioning are also included in a neuropsychology and neurocognitive battery. Recent studies have shown that these areas of the brain function differently in pathological gamblers; thus, the following neuropsychology/neurocognitive tests have been included: Attention/Information Processing Speed (via Simple Reaction Time Task and Continuous Performance Task), Episodic Memory (via Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised and Brief Visuospatial Memory Test), Executive/Frontal Lobe Measures (via Wechsler Memory Scale-III, Choice Reaction Time Task, Working Memory Task (N-back), Probabilistic Reversal Learning Task, and Stop-Signal Task). Between group comparisons on this battery of impulsivity tests will be made to clarify which components of impulsivity are associated with pathological gambling. Secondly, within-group analyses will be performed to correlate impulsivity to gambling severity. Lastly, an exploratory analysis of subtyping pathological gamblers by performances on tasks of impulsivity and types of gambling will be conducted.
Study design
- Observational model
- Case-control
- Time perspective
- Cross-sectional
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | –Pathological Gamblers |
| 2 | – | –Non-Pathological Gamblers |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
- Study population
- Community Sample
Key inclusion criteria (13 listed)
- 18 years or older
- Be able to speak, read and write in English
- Current diagnosis of pathological gambling (using DSM-IV criteria)
- South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS) score of 5 or above during screening
- Recent gambling activity -- at least once within one week prior to enrollment.
Key exclusion criteria (7 listed)
- Current treatment for pathological gambling, excluding involvement with Gamblers Anonymous
- Ongoing medication for any psychiatric disorders, including anti-psychotics, antidepressants, mood stabilizers, anxiolytics or sedative/hypnotics.
- Dependence by DSM-IV criteria on any psychoactive substance, excluding caffeine or nicotine
- Presence of clinically unstable medical disorders that could harm the subject if not treated immediately.
- Presence of any neurological or psychiatric disorders (as assessed by the SCID or MINI and BDI-II) that would require immediate treatment.
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Primary outcome
Barratt Impusivity Scale
Time frame: 12 months
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 4 Jun 2013.
- UCLA Gambling Studies ProgramLink provided by the sponsor.
Related trials for Pathological Gambling
Not yet recruiting
Theory-based Intervention for Promoting Responsible Gambling Among College Students
Problem Gambling, Pathological Gambling
Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Timothy W. Fong, M.D. principal investigator
UCLA Gambling Studies Program
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
An observational study of Pathological Gambling, run by University of California, Los Angeles at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 13 inclusion and 7 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 4 Jun 2013. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Barratt Impusivity Scale (time frame: 12 months). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 4 Jun 2013; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 27 Oct 2026.