The TDR Three Takeaways (Gambling Addiction):
- Psychedelic Therapy for Gambling Addiction: Imperial College London’s research uses psilocybin to target the reward system for people with Gambling Addiction, marking a departure from traditional addiction treatments.
- Significant Research Outcomes: Preliminary studies show gamblers’ brains react differently to gambling cues. The focus is on whether psilocybin can change these responses, potentially offering lasting effects from minimal treatments.
- Strategic Commercial Shift: The Centre is advancing towards more personalized treatments using advanced imaging and AI. It’s also shifting towards protecting its research for commercial use, including potential industry partnerships or new companies, to apply findings in practical therapies.
Researchers at Imperial College London’s Centre for Psychedelic Research are exploring groundbreaking methods to combat gambling addiction using psychedelic therapy. The focus is on utilizing substances like psilocybin, commonly found in magic mushrooms, to recalibrate the reward system in the brains of individuals suffering from gambling disorders.
Gambling addiction is characterized by a hijacking of the brain’s reward mechanisms, where traditional sources of pleasure become ineffective, and only gambling triggers these reward pathways. The research, spearheaded by Dr. Rayyan Zafar and overseen by Professor David Nutt and Dr. David Erritzoe, aims to determine whether psychedelic therapy can restore the brain’s normal reward responses, which are often narrowed by addiction.
This initiative builds upon Imperial College’s extensive experience in psychedelic research, spanning nearly two decades and encompassing a range of conditions including depression, anorexia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and fibromyalgia. The Centre, established in 2019, consolidates these efforts under the leadership of renowned figures in drug research and policy.
Dr. Zafar’s research, which included the use of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to study brain responses to gambling stimuli, has shown promising initial results. In gamblers, specific brain regions associated with reward processing were more active when exposed to gambling-related videos compared to healthy controls. The next phase involves a limited trial to assess the impact of psilocybin on these identified mechanisms, seeking to recalibrate or reset these dysfunctional reward circuits. This research is supported by a UKRI Impact Acceleration Account grant, bridging the gap between discovery and practical application.
Psychedelic therapy is believed to work by expanding a patient’s consciousness and perspective, fostering a profound sense of oneness and new insights. Its success is also attributed to the controlled setting and the support of a trained psychotherapist, which are integral to the process. The combination of psychedelic experience and psychotherapy may complement each other, potentially broadening the reward spectrum and reclaiming the mental and behavioral space occupied by the addiction.
A unique aspect of this therapy is the potential for long-lasting effects from possibly a single session, unlike conventional drug treatments which often require repeated doses. Adding brain imaging to the therapeutic process could further personalize treatment, with advanced AI systems assisting in interpreting complex data from brain scans.
The Centre’s collaboration with Invicro, a contract research organization, involves using a new high-power, research-grade MRI system to examine brain effects in unprecedented detail. This advancement could lead to more personalized and effective treatments.
Dr. Erritzoe hints at a shift in the Centre’s approach towards commercialization. Traditionally, their findings inspired industry scale-up, but they are now contemplating retaining their results for more direct commercial pursuits, potentially through partnerships or creating spinout companies. This change in strategy aims to better protect intellectual property and guide the translation of research into viable therapies.
This innovative approach at Imperial College London represents a significant step in understanding and treating behavioral addictions like gambling, potentially offering new hope and methods for those struggling with these challenges.