title: Decreased connectivity of the default mode network in pathological gambling: a resting state functional MRI study.
abstract: The default mode network (DMN) represents neuronal activity that is intrinsically generated during a resting state. The present study used resting-state fMRI to investigate whether functional connectivity is altered in pathological gambling (PG). Fifteen drug-naive male patients with PG and 15 age-matched male control subjects participated in the present study. The pathological gambling modification of the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (PG-YBOCS), the Beck Depression Inventory, and the Beck Anxiety Inventory were used to determine symptom severity in all participants. Participants were instructed to keep their eyes closed and not to focus on any particular thoughts during the 4.68-min resting-state functional scan. The patients with PG displayed decreased default mode connectivity in the left superior frontal gyrus, right middle temporal gyrus, and precuneus compared with healthy controls. The severity of PG symptoms in patients with PG was negatively associated with connectivity between the posterior cingulate cortex seed region and the precuneus (r=-0.599, p=0.018). Decreased functional connectivity within DMN suggests that PG may share similar neurobiological abnormalities with other addictive disorders. Moreover, the severity of PG symptoms was correlated with decreased connectivity in the precuneus, which may be important in the response to treatment in patients with PG.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Hallym University College of Medicine, Chuncheon, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Myung Hun
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jae-Hun
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Young-Chul
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Wi Hoon
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Joon Hwan
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Jang
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, SMG-SNU Boramae Hospital, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jung-Seok
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Do-Hyung
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Hallym University College of Medicine, Chuncheon, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jung-Seo
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Yi
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Radiology, National Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Chi-Hoon
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Department of Brain & Cognitive Science, College of Natural Science, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: kwonjs@snu.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Jun Soo
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Kwon
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001931:Brain Mapping; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005715:Gambling / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006179:Gyrus Cinguli / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D010296:Parietal Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology*; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Default mode network; Functional connectivity; Pathological gambling; fMRI