Clinical Study to Determine if Ecopipam Can Reduce Urges to Gamble
Status: | Completed |
---|---|
Conditions: | Psychiatric |
Therapuetic Areas: | Psychiatry / Psychology |
Healthy: | No |
Age Range: | Any |
Updated: | 2/4/2013 |
Start Date: | October 2010 |
End Date: | December 2012 |
Ecopipam Treatment of Pathological Gambling
This study is designed to test the hypothesis that ecopipam is able to reduce urges to
gamble in patients diagnosed with Pathological Gambling.
The purpose of this study is to determine if ecopipam is able to stop urges to gamble in
patients diagnosed with Pathological Gambling. Nerves communicate with each other by
releasing chemicals called "neurotransmitters". One of these neurotransmitters in the brain
is called "dopamine". After dopamine is released by the nerve it "talks" to other nerves by
interacting with receptors that are unique to that neurotransmitter. Ecopipam is a drug that
selectively blocks one family of dopamine receptors. Some scientists believe that the urge
to gamble is related to having too much dopamine in the brain. By blocking the receptors
that dopamine uses, ecopipam may be able to relieve the urge to gamble.
Inclusion Criteria:
- Subject must be diagnosed with Pathological Gambling according to DSMIV criteria
- Subject must have at least 2 episodes of gambling behavior within the previous 2
weeks before screening
- Subject must have gambling urges of at least moderate intensity
Exclusion Criteria:
- Subjects must not have unstable medical illness or clinically significant
abnormalities on lab tests, ECG, or physical exam
- Subjects with major depressive episode within the last 2 years
- Subjects with a history of attempted suicide
- Subjects with first degree relative with major depressive episode that resulted in
hospitalization, attempted or completed suicide
- Subjects with a history of epilepsy or seizures
- Subjects with a myocardial infarction (heart attack) with in the last 6 months
- Subjects with a lifetime history of bipolar disorder, dementia, schizophrenia, or any
psychotic disorder
- Subjects with current of recent DSM-IV diagnosis of substance abuse or dependence
(with the exception of nicotine)
We found this trial at
4
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University of California at Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is an...
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Yale University Yale's roots can be traced back to the 1640s, when colonial clergymen led...
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