NCRG Honors Yale Scientist For Exceptional Contributions To Field Of Disordered Gambling Research
Nov 13, 2008
WASHINGTON– The National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG) has named Dr. Marc Potenza as the recipient of this year’s Scientific Achievement Award in the senior investigator category in recognition of his significant contributions to the field of disordered gambling research. The senior investigator award honors scientists whose career work has led to important advancements, discoveries or developments in the field.
Potenza, associate professor of psychiatry and director of the problem gambling clinic at Yale University, was selected by an independent awards committee in recognition of his groundbreaking research on pathological and problem gambling. He has made contributions to the study of gambling disorders in the areas of population studies, genetics, treatment outcome research and neuroscience. Among the many milestones of his career is his completion of the first two brain imaging studies conducted in this field.
“Dr. Potenza has been a true pioneer in the field of disordered gambling research. His contributions not only have helped us better understand the disorder, but have helped lay the groundwork for future research,” said Phil Satre, chairman of the NCRG. “The NCRG is proud to honor Dr. Potenza for his continued commitment to excellence in advancing the field of disordered gambling research.”
The award will be presented at a reception on Nov. 16 at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino during the 9thannual NCRG Conference on Gambling and Addiction. The conference is sponsored by the NCRG and the Institute for Research on Pathological Gambling and Related Disorders, a program at the Division on Addictions at Cambridge Health Alliance, a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School.
Potenza’s initial groundbreaking brain imaging studies involving subjects with pathological gambling, published in 2003, showed differences in the brain activity of pathological gamblers compared with control subjects and laid the groundwork for future investigations of the neurobiological elements of pathological gambling. Potenza since has conducted research using brain imaging in clinical trials to help identify brain characteristics that may be able to predict whether or not a particular drug treatment will be successful for the patient. His current research also includes a brain imaging study that has found similarities in the brain activity of pathological gamblers when they experience gambling urges to the brain activity of people with cocaine dependence when they experience cocaine cravings.
Potenza has conducted significant investigations into a biological basis for pathological gambling. This research has included a study into the relationship between pathological gambling and major depression in men, which has helped the scientific community to better identify the genetic and environmental factors that contribute to pathological gambling. In his roles as director of the Women and Addictive Disorders Core, Women’s Health Research at Yale and director of neuroimaging at the Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC) in West Haven, Conn., Potenza has conducted a substantial amount of research into the differences between men and women with pathological gambling, as well as pathological gambling in the context of co-occurring disorders.
Potenza also is internationally recognized for his research into the drug treatment for pathological gambling and has investigated a series of possible drug therapy treatments. He will lead a conference session on the topic of medication for gambling and alcoholic disorders at the 2008 NCRG Conference on Gambling and Addiction.
In addition to his research, Potenza regularly treats individuals with gambling problems and serves as an editorial board member for a number of peer-reviewed scientific journals including theJournal of Addiction MedicineandThe American Journal on Addictions. He has authored more than 100 research and theoretical articles and has contributed to more than 40 books. Potenza earned his M.D. at Yale University School of Medicine and his Ph.D. in cell biology at Yale University. He also is the first person to receive NCRG Scientific Achievement Awards in both the Young Investigator (2003) and Senior Investigator categories.
The recipients of the Scientific Achievement Award are selected by an independent committee of distinguished leaders in the field of addictions and gambling research chaired by Joseph T. Coyle, the Eben S. Draper Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Other members of the committee include Linda B. Cottler, Ph.D., professor of epidemiology in psychiatry at the Washington University School of Medicine; Richard I. Evans, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the University of Houston; Peter E. Nathan, Ph.D., professor emeritus of community and behavioral health at the University of Iowa; and Christine Thurmond, administrative director at the Division on Addictions, Cambridge Health Alliance.
To obtain additional information on the NCRG’s conference visitwww.ncrg.org. To obtain press credentials for events related to the conference, or to arrange interviews with conference participants, contact Veronica Brown at 202-530-4526 or 703-470-1925 (from Nov. 15-21).
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The National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG) is the only national organization exclusively devoted to funding research that helps increase understanding of pathological and youth gambling and find effective methods of treatment for the disorder. Founded in 1996 as a 501(c)3 charitable organization, the NCRG is the American Gaming Association’s (AGA) affiliated charity. For more information, visitwww.ncrg.org. NCRG funds provide grants to researchers to increase understanding of pathological gambling and find effective methods of treatment for the disorder. The funds are distributed through the Institute for Research on Pathological Gambling and Related Disorders, a program of the Division on Addictions at Cambridge Health Alliance, a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School. For more information, visitwww.divisiononaddictions.org/institute.
