Funded Research

Dissertation: “Social Isolation, Drug Use and Gambling Problems in 10-17 Year Olds”

Principal Investigator: Nathan Smith, University of Florida

Awarded $2,000 in 2019

Aim:  The aim of this analysis is to describe the relationship between social isolation, gambling participation and gambling problems in children aged 10-17. This includes providing data on prevalence rates of gambling participation, age of gambling onset, and prevalence of gambling problems. Finally, the study will attempt to address if gambling disorder behaves more similar to socially encouraged addictive behaviors such as alcohol use or more similar to isolationary addictive behaviors such as opioid misuse.

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Dissertation Grant: “From the Slots to the Bottle: A Mixed Method Study of Addiction Substitution in Gambling Disorder”

Principal Investigator: Hyoun S. (Andrew) Kim, University of Calgary

Awarded $2,000 in 2019

Aim: This dissertation aims to examine an understudied, yet important concept known as addiction substitution. Addiction substitution occurs when an individual who recovers from one addiction (e.g., gambling) subsequently increases the use of a secondary addictive behavior (e.g., alcohol). The aim is to address this empirical gap by examining the process of addiction substitution (i.e., how, why) among people who have recovered from gambling.

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Dissertation Grant: “Is More Better? A Meta-Analysis of Dose and Efficacy in Face-to-Face Psychological Treatments for Gambling Disorder”

Principal Investigator: Rory A. Pfund, University of Memphis

Awarded $395 in 2019

Aim: The specific aim of the proposed study is to determine whether there is a relation between the received dose and therapeutic outcome of face-to-face psychological treatments for gambling disorder. The hypothesis is that there is no relation between the received dose and therapeutic outcome in face-to-face psychological treatments for gambling disorder. That hypothesis will be tested using meta-analysis because it will allow for the quantitative synthesis of results from past studies.

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Dissertation Grant: “Therapeutic Engagement: Can Motivational Messages Engage At-Risk Gamblers in an Online Assessment?”

Principal Investigator: Samuel C. Peter, University of Memphis

Awarded $800 in 2019

Aim: The primary aim of this dissertation is to test whether static or interactive motivationally-based online messages can result in a higher rate of frequent gamblers completing an online gambling disorder screener when compared to a control message inviting gamblers to take the screener. It is hypothesized that individuals randomly assigned to one of the two motivationally-based approaches will be more likely to complete the problem gambling screener compared to those receiving a control message without motivational content.

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Dissertation Grant: “Characterization of mPFC Subregions in Response Execution and Inhibition”

Principal Investigator: Jessica Caballero, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Awarded $ 2,000 in 2019

Aim: Abnormal control of execution and inhibition of behaviors is a major contributor to problems like gambling and addiction. People that have problems controlling the execution and inhibition of behaviors are often impulsive and constantly seek the reward they are after. The prelimbic (PL) and the infralimbic (IL) subregions of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), and their projections to the nucleus accumbens core (NACc) and sell (NACsh) have been strongly implicated in the behavioral execution/inhibition balance. The aims of this animal study are: 1) Determine PL and IL influence over response execution and inhibition; and 2) determine circuitry mediating the execution and inhibition of reward seeking behaviors.

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Large Grant: “Don’t Go There: A Geospatial mHealth App for Gambling Disorder”

Principal Investigator: Jeremiah Weinstock, PhD, Saint Louis University
Awarded $172,354 in 2019
Aim: Develop and test efficacy of a novel mHealth app that will capitalize on smartphones’ global positioning software that recognizes a user’s location; in this case, a favorite gambling location.

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Seed Grant: “At-Risk Problem Gambling Clinical Comorbidities and Treatment Engagement among Homeless Veterans”

Principal Investigator: Steven D. Shirk, PhD, New England MIRECC
Awarded $34,035 in 2019
Aim: Better understand the clinical profile of homeless veterans and how it relates to problem gambling behavior.

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Large Grant: “Developing and Testing a Brief Intervention for Problem Gambling in Credit Counseling”

Principal Investigator: Paul G. Sacco, PhD, University of Maryland School of Social Work.
Awarded $172,450 in 2019
Aim: Test effectiveness of brief intervention with text messaging in reducing gambling behavior and improving financial well being among credit counseling clients.

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Seed Grant: “Overlapping Neurobiological Mechanisms Contributing to Cue-driven Reward-seeking Behavior and Risky Decision-making”

Principal Investigator: Sara Morrison, PhD, University of Pittsburgh
Awarded $34,500 in 2019
Aim: This rat study will test the hypotheses that sign-tracking (ST) and risky decision-making engage overlapping brain circuitry and that individuals that tend toward ST will be more likely to make high-risk, high-reward choices, even when such choices are maladaptive.

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Seed Grant: “Participatory Design of Interactive Persuasive Gambling Awareness: Enabling Gambling-Centered Innovation”

Principal Investigator: Raian Ali, PhD, Bournemouth University
Awarded $34,488 in 2019
Aim: Make a first utilization of the platform developed via the EROGamb project and provide gambler-led designs and also design principles of interactive, persuasive messages and forms which use gambling data for the purpose of making the gambling experience more in control.

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