New Investigator Grant: “A Novel Approach for Investigating the Neurobiological Basis of Gambling Using a Rodent Analogue of the Iowa Gambling Task”

Principal Investigator: Catharine A. Winstanley, Ph.D., University of British Columbia
Awarded $57,500 in 2006

Aim: Develop and test a novel model of gambling behavior in rats based on the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) to determine if the rat IGT (RIGT) is a valid model of gambling behavior and whether damage to the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and basolateral amygdala (BLA) increases risky decision-making in keeping with data from human studies.

Zeeb, F.D., Robbins, T.W., & Winstanley, C.A. (2009). Serotonergic and dopaminergic modulation of gambling behavior as assessed using a novel rat gambling task. Neuropsychopharmacology, 34, 2329–2343; doi:10.1038/npp.2009.62

Zeeb, F. D., Floresco, S. B., & Winstanley, C. A. (2010). Contributions of the orbitofrontal cortex to impulsive choice: interactions with basal levels of impulsivity, dopamine signalling, and reward-related cues. Psychopharmacology, 211(1), 87-98.

Year: 2006
Type: Project Grants