Investigation of the neurobiological basis of processing reward-contingent audiovisual stimuli in a virtual gambling game through functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Observational

Source

DRKS

Registry ID

DRKS00021178

Enrollment

Registered

2020-04-03

Start date

2020-05-01

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2025-04-07

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Healthy subjects F63.0

Interventions

Group 1: Pathological gamblers: Investigation of the neurobiological basis of decision-making in a virtual gambling game through fMRI and questionnaires. Group 2: Healthy subjects: Investigation of th

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Age

18 Years to 65 Years

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: - Men and women between the ages of 18 and 65 years - fulfillment of the diagnostic criteria of pathological gambling (DSM-V) - sufficient ability to communicate with the investigators, answer questions in spoken and written form - ability to consent after detailed written education ("Fully Informed Consent") - informed consent has to be in written form ("Written Informed Consent")

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: - Withdrawal of the declaration of consent - alcohol intoxication (breath alcohol concentration > 0.0 ‰) - Axis I disorder according to DSM V (except: pathological gambling, nicotine addiction, mood disorders) - Serious internal, neurological or psychiatric illness - Currently existing manic episode - Currently existing major depressive episode - Currently existing Schizoaffective disorder - Non-correctable visual impairment - pregnancy - left-handers - use of psychotropic drugs within the last 7 days (except: taking antidepressants if their dose was unchanged for at least 30 days). - Current substance abuse (THC, amphetamine, opiates, benzodiazepines, barbiturates and cocaine) - exclusion criteria for fMRI-scans (see MRI information document "Allgemeines Informationsblatt Kernspintomographische Forschung am Zentralinstitut für Seelische Gesundheit Mannheim")

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Difference in the level of brain activation in the mesolimbic system between the two experimental conditions with win-contingent stimuli vs. without win-contingent stimuli, which is measured at one point in time during two paradigms using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).	—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
Difference in the frequency of the selection of the high-risk vs. Low-risk game variant (2 alternatives) while processing two pradigms with and without win-contingent stimuli, which are recorded at one time point (frequency of selection in the computer-based paradigm).	—

Countries

Germany

Contacts

Public ContactPatrick Bach

Zentralinstitut für Seelische Gesundheit Klinik für Abhängiges Verhalten und Suchtmedizin

patrick.bach@zi-mannheim.de0621 / 1703-3888

Outcome results

None listed

Source: DRKS (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026