Gambling AddictionTIGERNCT06122298
Testing the Interplay of Gambling, Emotion and Reward
An observational study of Gambling Addiction, run by Hôpital le Vinatier at 1 site in France.
Trial summary
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. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 65 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Gambling Addiction
- What is being tested?
- fMRI and Ecological Momentary Assessment
- How many people
- 120 participants
- Where
- 1 siteFrance
- Study dates
- 27 Mar 2024to 20 May 2028
- Phase
- Observational
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
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 to 65 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Study population: Two groups: 60 individuals with gambling problems (i.e. Number of DSM-5 critera for gambling disorder ≥3) and 60 matched healthy controls
Who may be able to join
- For all participants (gamblers and healthy subjects)
- Aged between 18 and 65
- Fluent French, read and spoken
- Male and Female
- Informed consent to take part in the research
- For gamblers :
Show all 12Show fewer
- Number of DSM-5 critera for gambling disorder ≥3
- Score ≥ 5 on the Problem Gambling Severity Index questionnaire (PGSI)
- Have a smartphone
- For healthy subjects :
- no DSM-5 criteria for gambling addiction
- Score ≤ 2 on the Problem Gambling Severity Index questionnaire (PGSI)
Who cannot join
- For all participants (gamblers and healthy subjects):
- Contra-indication to MRI
- Protected Adults
- Breast feeding or pregnant women
- Neurological disorder or severe chronic illness (diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, lung disease or liver disease, inflammatory disease….)
- Pharmacological treatment with psychotropic action (>1 time / week)
Show all 13Show fewer
- Regular drug use (> 1 time/ week for at least 3 months in the last 6 months)
- Positive urine drug test on the day of the MRI sessions
- For gamblers:
- Psychiatric treatment > 1 month (pharmacological or CBT)
- Other DSM-5 diagnosis : schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, ADHD, autism, current PTSD, eating disorders, current major depressive episode, anxiety disorder, substance use disorder except nicotine, obsessive compulsive disorder.
- For healthy subjects :
- Any DSM-5 diagnosis except nicotine addiction
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
France1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
CH le Vinatier
Bron, 69678
SESCOUSSE Guillaume, PhD, 0437915565 ext. +33, guillaume.sescousse@ch-le-vinatier.fr
About this study
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
Read more
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.
Read the detailed description
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.
- Conditions
- Gambling Addiction
- Being tested
- fMRI, Ecological Momentary Assessment
- Keywords
- gambling addiction, fMRI, reward, emotion, striatum, amygdala, EMA
- Medical subject headings
- Gambling
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
fMRIOther
A brain imaging technique that measures in vivo the activity of brain areas by detecting local changes in blood flow.
Ecological Momentary AssessmentOther
Also called EMA
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
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Individuals with gambling problems | 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. Receives: Other: fMRI; Other: Ecological Momentary Assessment | |
| Healthy control individuals | Matched healthy individuals Receives: Other: fMRI |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
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.
Measured: 4 weeks
Secondary outcomes (1)
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
Measured: 4 weeks
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted8 Nov 2023
- Study start27 Mar 2024
- Primary completion20 May 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion20 May 2028 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Gambling AddictionStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Hôpital le VinatierThe 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 (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Hôpital le Vinatier
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Guillaume SESCOUSSE, PHD, Principal investigator, CH Le Vinatier
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06122298
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 2023-A00597-38
- Acronym
- TIGER
- Status last verified
- Jul 2025
- First submitted
- 28 Sep 2023
- Last updated
- 17 Jul 2025
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 17 Jul 2025. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Testing the Interplay of Gambling, Emotion and Reward
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06122298
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- TIGER / 2023-A00597-38
- Conditions
- Gambling Addiction
- Keywords
- gambling addiction, fMRI, reward, emotion, striatum, amygdala, EMA
- Study type
- Observational
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 120 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Hôpital le VinatierUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Institut National de la Santé Et de la Recherche Médicale, France
- Study start
- 27 Mar 2024 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 20 May 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 20 May 2028 (estimated)
- First posted
- 8 Nov 2023 (actual)
- 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.
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.
Detailed description
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.
Study design
- Observational model
- Case-control
- Time perspective
- Cross-sectional
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Individuals with gambling problems | – | Other: fMRI, Other: Ecological Momentary AssessmentThis 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. |
| Healthy control individuals | – | Other: fMRIMatched healthy individuals |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 65 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
- Study population
- Two groups: 60 individuals with gambling problems (i.e. Number of DSM-5 critera for gambling disorder ≥3) and 60 matched healthy controls
Key inclusion criteria (12 listed)
- For all participants (gamblers and healthy subjects)
- Aged between 18 and 65
- Fluent French, read and spoken
- Male and Female
- Informed consent to take part in the research
Key exclusion criteria (13 listed)
- Contra-indication to MRI
- Protected Adults
- Breast feeding or pregnant women
- Neurological disorder or severe chronic illness (diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, lung disease or liver disease, inflammatory disease….)
- Pharmacological treatment with psychotropic action (>1 time / week)
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| fMRIA brain imaging technique that measures in vivo the activity of brain areas by detecting local changes in blood flow. | Other | Healthy control individuals, Individuals with gambling problems |
| Ecological Momentary AssessmentAlso: EMAstudies 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 | Other | Individuals with gambling problems |
Primary outcome
Striatal BOLD response to reward outcomes and amygdala BOLD response to emotional stimuli
Time frame: 4 weeks
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.
1 secondary outcome
Correlation between emotional states and gambling behavior in everyday life
Time frame: 4 weeks
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 17 Jul 2025.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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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.
Guillaume SESCOUSSE, PHD principal investigator
CH Le Vinatier
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 Gambling Addiction, run by Hôpital le Vinatier at 1 site in France.
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 12 inclusion and 13 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: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 17 Jul 2025. 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 France. 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?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Guillaume SESCOUSSE, PHD (0437915531 ext. +33, guillaume.sescousse@ch-le-vinatier.fr), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Striatal BOLD response to reward outcomes and amygdala BOLD response to emotional stimuli (time frame: 4 weeks). 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 17 Jul 2025.