AAT + tDCS to Reduce Cue-induced Craving and Smoking Behavior

Summary

Smokers are highly reactive to smoking-related stimuli and report that this cue reactivity (CR) is a major obstacle to quitting. To date, no pharmacologic methods attenuate CR, and attempts to diminish it with traditional cue exposure treatment (CET) have not proven effective. The proposed study will test a highly novel cue-based smoking treatment adjunct combining an Approach/Avoidance Task (AAT) with brain stimulation via tDCS applied to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) during personalized multi-cue exposure; the goal of which is to discover an effective means of reducing cue reactivity and daily smoking, and increasing intent and confidence to quit, among high treatment-interest smokers.

Conditions

• Smoking Behaviors
• Smoking, Cigarette

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Approach/Avoidance Task

The Approach/avoidance task (AAT) training is done using a joystick. The AAT tasks involves having participants push away pictures of smoking stimuli that appear on the screen by pushing the joystick forward, and pulling in pictures of nonsmoking stimuli that appear on the screen by pulling the joystick towards themselves. Pushing smoking-related pictures away causes the picture to shrink in size, whereas pulling a picture closer causes the picture to increase in size. This task consists of 4 blocks of 24 pictures, taking 30 minutes.

DEVICE

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation active (2.0 mA) (tDCS) will be used to temporarily increase cortical excitability of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) in healthy daily smokers. Participants assigned to active tDCS conditions will receive active (2.0 mA) tDCS, with anode electrode placement over the right dlPFC and cathode electrode placement over the left bicep. tDCS will be administered the first 20 minutes of each of the five 30 minute AAT training sessions.

BEHAVIORAL

AC

During Active Control (AC) participants press a button on the left of right of the joystick to indicate the position the picture on a screen. Position of pictures will be balanced across the 4 blocks of 24 pictures, taking 30 minutes.

DEVICE

Sham tDCS

Sham transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (0.1 mA) (sham tDCS) will be used as a control for active tDCS with anode electrode placement over the right dlPFC and cathode electrode placement over the left bicep. Sham tDCS will be administered during the first 20 minutes of each of the four blocks of 24 pictures, taking 30 minutes, across the 5 training sessions.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

  collaborator NIH

• Cynthia Conklin

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Cynthia Conklin, PhD · University of Pittsburgh

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

DOUBLE

Model

FACTORIAL

Eligibility

Min Age

26 Years

Max Age

55 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2022-04-29

Primary Completion

2024-05-15

Completion

2024-06-14

FDA Device

Yes

Countries

• United States

Study Locations