{"id":53989,"date":"2021-08-26T16:56:20","date_gmt":"2021-08-26T16:56:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/merryjane.com\/new-study-is-investigating-whether-ketamine-can-be-used-to-treat-gambling-addiction\/"},"modified":"2021-08-26T16:56:20","modified_gmt":"2021-08-26T16:56:20","slug":"new-study-is-investigating-whether-ketamine-can-be-used-to-treat-gambling-addiction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/merryjane.com\/news\/new-study-is-investigating-whether-ketamine-can-be-used-to-treat-gambling-addiction\/","title":{"rendered":"New Study Is Investigating Whether Ketamine Can Be Used to Treat Gambling Addiction"},"content":{"rendered":"

Image <\/em>via<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

A Canadian biotech company is preparing to kick off the world’s first clinical trial investigating ketamine as a treatment for gambling addiction<\/u><\/a>. <\/p>\n

In this unique study, researchers affiliated with Awakn Life Sciences Corp<\/u><\/a>. will explore whether ketamine can reduce the urge to gamble and the \u201csuperstitious thinking\u201d that often accompanies this addiction. The trial, which will be conducted in the UK, also aims to discover whether ketamine-assisted therapy can modify reward memories that can trigger the desire to gamble.<\/p>\n

“This study is an exciting first step toward a new treatment for gambling disorder, and one which will give new insights into the neurobiology of this damaging and often overlooked addiction, we are delighted that Awakn is able to take the lead in developing solutions to address this growing unmet treatment need,\u201d said the study’s lead researcher, Celia Morgan, PhD, Professor of Psychopharmacology at the University of Exeter, UK, in a statement<\/u><\/a>.<\/p>\n