Changes of functional MRI findings in a patient whose pathological gambling improved with fluvoxamine.

Abstract

Legalized gambling is a growing industry, and is probably a factor in the presently increasing prevalence of pathological gambling. We present a case of a 36-year-old pathological gambler who was treated with fluvoxamine, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, and who was assessed by functional MRI before and after drug administration. During activation periods, the pathological gambler was shown cards as stimuli, and fMRI results in several brain regions showed differential effects before and after medication and a maintenance period. This case demonstrates that the treatment response to fluvoxamine in a pathological gambler was observed not only by subjective self-report, but also by objective fMRI results. Therefore, fMRI may be a useful tool in the diagnosis and prediction of treatment response in patients afflicted with pathological gambling.

• Authors: Sang-Keun Chung, Il-Han You, Gwang-Hyun Cho, Gyung-Ho Chung, Young-Chul Shin, Dai-Jin Kim, Sam-Wook Choi
• Journal: Yonsei medical journal (Yonsei Med J) Vol. 50 Issue 3 Pg. 441-4 (Jun 30 2009) ISSN: 1976-2437 [Electronic] Korea (South)
• PMID: 19568609 (Publication Type: Case Reports, Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Serotonin Uptake Inhibitors
• Fluvoxamine

Topics

• Adult
• Behavior, Addictive (drug therapy)
• Fluvoxamine (therapeutic use)
• Gambling
• Humans
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging
• Male
• Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (therapeutic use)
• Treatment Outcome