None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
Despite the supports and treatments available to assist smoking cessation, relapse remains high amongst smokers who attempt to quit. An important factor that has been identified to contribute to relapse is difficulties with impulse control, also known as response inhibition. Smokers have been found to exhibit reduced response inhibition, that is, difficulties inhibiting an automatic response such as smoking, Difficulties with response inhibition has been hypothesised to be a predictor of relapse following a quit attempt. Therefore, it would be beneficial to target response inhibition during this time period to assist in achieving and maintaining abstinence. While response inhibition interventions have not yet been investigated in smokers, other studies have found it to be effective in changing unhealthy behaviours in heavy drinkers, dieters and overweight adults. This Randomised Controlled Trial aims to investigate whether response inhibition training is effective for reducing smoking in those who are dependent on nicotine, It will also examine how a number of mediators and moderators. Our research group is collaborating with Dr Natalia Lawrence to adapt her program which was developed and evaluated in the UK in relation to food inhibition training. Participants will be allocated to either a treatment group or an active control group. The response inhibition group will complete two weeks of the smoking response inhibition training program, while the control group will complete a general response inhibition training program. All participants will complete fourteen online training sessions over a two-week period and will provide follow-up data relating to their smoking status three time points after they have completed the training - post intervention, one and three month follow up.
Interventions
The intervention is an online GoNoGo response inhibition training task as developed by Lawrence et al. (2015). The task used in this study has been modified to incorporate images of smoking. The intervention will consist of smoking-related pictures, non-smoking behaviour-related pictures, and neutral pictures. The neutral pictures are incorporated to prevent participants from easily identifying the associative rules of the task such that learning will occur through automatic processes as oppose
The intervention is an online GoNoGo response inhibition training task as developed by Lawrence et al. (2015). The task used in this study has been modified to incorporate images of smoking. The intervention will consist of smoking-related pictures, non-smoking behaviour-related pictures, and neutral pictures. The neutral pictures are incorporated to prevent participants from easily identifying the associative rules of the task such that learning will occur through automatic processes as opposed to explicit control. Smoking-related pictures will always be paired with no-go signals, non-smoking pictures will always be paired with go signals, and neutral pictures will be paired equally with go and no-go signals. The training will consist of 6 blocks of 36 trials in each block. There are 14 sessions altogether which occur once a day for two weeks. Participants must quickly indicate whether the picture is located to the left or the right of the computer screen on their keyboard ('go' trials). On half of the trials, the frame around the picture will be bolded ('no go' cue) and the participants must not respond. Participants will be provided with feedback on their accuracy and mean go reaction time at the end of each block. Each training session will last for approximately 10 minutes. T Reference: Lawrence, N. S., O’Sullivan, J., Parslow, D., Javaid, M., Adams, R. C., Chambers, C. D., … Verbruggen, F. (2015). Training response inhibition to food is associated with weight loss and reduced energy intake. Appetite, 95, 17–28. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2015.06.009
Sponsors
Associate Professor Petra Staiger
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Blinded (masking used) (Subject, Caregiver, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to 60 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
Regular cigarette use- smokes 10 or more cigarettes per day on average for at least the past 12 months DSM V Diagnosis of Tobacco Use Disorder Reside in Melbourne Metropolitan Area (need to meet them face to face) Completed at least year 9 at a mainstream school or equivalent Regular access to a computer and internet on a daily basis for the next two week Express an intention to reduce or quit smoking Between the ages of 18 - 60
Exclusion criteria
High risk use of alcohol or drugs (other than nicotine) No period of abstinence from nicotine (excluding e.g. hospital stays) longer than 2 weeks in the past 3 months Reports of a brain injury or a loss of consciousness for more than 30 minutes Currently using anti-craving medication such as Champix (varenicline) or Zyban (buproprion) Use of psychotropic medications such as antidepressants, anxiolytics or antipsychotics Primary nicotine use is via e-cigarettes Individuals who use nicotine replacement therapy (e.g. Nicorette patches) will be excluded if they cannot refrain from using them during the two-week training period.
Outcome results
None listed