Neuroimaging Studies of Smoking and Treatment

Smoking Cessation, Cognitive Control and Reward Processing: An fMRI Pilot Study

Status

Completed

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT03085602

Enrollment

Registered

2017-03-21

Start date

2014-12-31

Completion date

2019-02-01

Last updated

2019-04-16

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Smoking Cessation

Brief summary

The purpose of this research study is to examine changes in brain regions associated with cognitive control and reward processing during behavioral smoking cessation treatment.

Interventions

BEHAVIORALCognitive behavioral therapy

Therapy focused on explaining the physiological and psychological effects of nicotine. Training is focused on adherence to smoking instructions, physiological and psychological effects of nicotine, reviewing reasons for quitting, and coping with smoking urges. Smokers will be asked to begin smoking on a set schedule leading up to their quit day.

BEHAVIORALHealth education

Therapy that provides health education on the importance of healthy eating. Participants will be instructed to smoke as usual.

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

18 Years to 55 Years

Healthy volunteers

Yes

Inclusion criteria

* smoke \> 10 cigarettes per day * vision is normal or corrected-to-normal

Exclusion criteria

* serious medical illness unsuitable for the MR scanner based on best clinical judgment * any neurologic or psychiatric disorder * diabetes * known heart disease * high blood pressure * currently taking psychotropic or cardiovascular medication * history of alcohol or other substance dependence or current abuse * risk for hazard due to magnetic fields such as metal in the body surgically or accidentally (e.g., pacemaker, cochlear implants, aneurysm clips, intravascular stents or coils, spinal shunt, injury involving bullets, shrapnel or metal implanted in their body, etc) * pregnancy

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Change in activation in reward processing regions of the brain	Change from Baseline to Week 4

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
Change in activation in cognitive control regions of the brain	Change from Baseline to Week 4
Change in connectivity between reward and cognitive control regions of the brain	Change from Baseline to Week 4

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026