Pathological Gambling and Platelet MAO Activity

A Psychobiological Study

Blanco, Carlos MD, PhD
Orensanz-Munoz, Luis PhD
Blanco-Jerez, Carmen BS
Saiz-Ruiz, Jeronimo MD, PhD

Received Sept. 20, 1993; revisions received May 1 and Aug. 28, 1995; accepted Oct. 6, 1995. From the Departments of Psychiatry and Biochemical Research, Hospital Ramon y Cajal, Madrid, and the Department of Psychiatry, New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center, Westchester Division, White Plains, N.Y. Address reprint requests to Dr. Blanco, Department of Psychiatry, St. Vincent's Hospital and Medical Center, 144 West 12th St., New York, NY 10011.
Supported in part by Spanish Ministry of Health grant FISS 92/5527 (Dr. Blanco).
The authors thank Adriano Jimenez-Escrig, M.D., Ph.D., and Lina Normandin, Ph.D., for advice on the statistical analysis and Scott S. Campbell, Ph.D., Robert C. Young, M.D., and Diana E. Robles, M.D., for comments on previous drafts of the manuscript.

American Journal of Psychiatry 153(1):p 119-121, January 1996.

Objective

The authors studied platelet monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity and psychological characteristics of male pathological gamblers. Method: Twenty-seven male pathological gamblers were compared with a group of healthy individuals who were matched by age, sex, and tobacco consumption. Measures included platelet MAO activity and scores on the MMPI and Zuckerman's Sensation Seeking Scale. Results: Platelet MAO activity and scores on several MMPI scales for the two groups were significantly different, but measures of sensation seeking were not. No correlations of biological significance were found between platelet MAO activity and psychological ratings. Conclusions: Low platelet MAO activity may be a biological predisposition for impulsivity in pathological gamblers. Although no psychological pattern is characteristic of pathological gamblers, they differ from healthy individuals in some personality traits. No significant relationship could be established between platelet MAO activity and psychological measures.

(Am J Psychiatry 1996; 153:119-121)