RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Effect of executive functioning, decision-making and self-reported impulsivity on the treatment outcome of pathologic gambling
JF Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience
JO J Psychiatry Neurosci
FD Canadian Medical Association
SP 165
OP 175
DO 10.1503/jpn.090095
VO 36
IS 3
A1 Eva M. Álvarez-Moya
A1 Cristian Ochoa
A1 Susana Jiménez-Murcia
A1 Maria Neus Aymamí
A1 Mónica Gómez-Peña
A1 Fernando Fernández-Aranda
A1 Juanjo Santamaría
A1 Laura Moragas
A1 Francesca Bove
A1 José M. Menchón
YR 2011
UL http://jpn.ca/content/36/3/165.abstract
AB Background: Impairments in self-regulatory behaviour reflect a deficit in executive functioning and decision-making, as well as higher levels of self-reported impulsivity, and may be involved in the development and maintenance of addictive disorders. We sought to explore the association between self-reported impulsivity and neurocognitive measures, and their association with treatment outcome in pathologic gambling.Methods: We assessed patients with pathologic gambling using executive functioning and decision-making tests and self-report measures of impulsivity. Patients underwent cognitive–behavioural therapy (CBT) for pathologic gambling.Results: We included 88 patients (8% women) in our study. High self-reported extravagance was associated with poor performance in the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT)-ABCD version. High impulsiveness, low disorderliness, high exploratory excitability (trend), poor backward block span and poor IGT-EFGH scores (trend) predicted dropout. We observed no self-reported or neurocognitive predictors of relapse or number of treatment sessions attended.Limitations: Most participants were slot-machine gamblers seeking treatment. No follow-up data and no control group were included in the study. The missing sample (i.e., individuals who were recruited and assessed in the pretreatment stage but who chose not to begin treatment) had higher extravagance scores than the final sample.Conclusion: Neurocognitive reward sensitivity was related to self-reported overspending behaviour. Self-regulatory impairments (especially rash impulsiveness and punishment sensitivity) and executive dysfunction predicted only dropout of CBT in participants with pathologic gambling. Different neurocognitive processes and personality traits might mediate treatment response to psychological therapy of pathologic gambling according to the specific target variable assessed.