Improving the Efficacy of Anti-Nicotine Immunotherapy
Nicotine DependenceThe purpose of this study is to find out how vaccine-induced antibodies change the way the body processes nicotine from cigarettes. These antibodies absorb nicotine and can reduce nicotine levels in the brain. In this way, the vaccination may help to quit smoking. The central hypothesis is that anti-nicotine antibodies change kinetics of brain nicotine accumulation and distribution of nicotine between the brain and other body tissues. This vaccine is investigational which means that it is still being tested in research studies and is not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to help people quit smoking.
Mechanisms of the Nicotine Metabolism Effect on Tobacco Dependence
Cigarette SmokingThe purpose of the study is to learn more about tobacco dependence and nicotine metabolism in African-Americans and whites, by studying to see if how fast a person metabolizes nicotine (how the body breaks down nicotine into inactive compounds) affects how dependent they are on smoking cigarettes. The investigators believe that people with a faster rate of metabolism may have more severe nicotine withdrawal symptoms and also may have a harder time trying to quit smoking.
The Effect of Varenicline on D2/D3 Receptor Binding in Smokers
Nicotine DependenceThis study will evaluate effects of treatment with varenicline, a smoking cessation drug, on the dopaminergic system by using Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging with new radioligand, [11C]-(+)-PHNO. The investigators primary hypothesis is that chronic varenicline administration will increase dopamine (DA) receptors levels ([11C](+)PHNO) within the human brain.
Manipulating Tobacco Constituents in Female Menthol Smokers
Nicotine DependenceThis study examines the potential effect of reducing nicotine content or menthol or both in women of reproductive age, a vulnerable population identified by the FDA in need of further research.
Project 3, Study 2: Extended Exposure to Low Nicotine Content Cigarettes in People With Current...
Tobacco Use DisorderThis study will examine extended exposure to cigarettes varying in nicotine content among disadvantaged women. Adults with affective disorders are at increased risk for smoking, nicotine dependence, and using high nicotine yield cigarettes and are also at significantly increased risk for smoking-related adverse health consequences, including site-specific cancers, heart disease, and premature death. Studies testing an innovative regulatory strategy of reducing the nicotine content of cigarettes to a non-addictive level have shown promising beneficial effects (decreased smoking rate, reduced toxicant exposure, and increased cessation) in the general population of smokers. However, these studies have uniformly excluded vulnerable populations like those with affective disorders who may respond differently considering their greater vulnerability to smoking and nicotine dependence. Thus, little is known scientifically about how this highly vulnerable subgroup of smokers might respond to a nicotine reduction policy. This project is designed to address that substantial knowledge gap. This same study was also conducted in two additional vulnerable populations under a similar protocol.
Effects of rTMS on Cigarette Smoking and Cognition in Schizophrenia
SchizophreniaNicotine AddictionCigarette smoking rates are extremely high in persons with schizophrenia and this increases the risk of disease and death due to tobacco-related disorders. One of the features of schizophrenia is reduced cognitive abilities, such as poor attention and memory. It is thought that people with schizophrenia smoke cigarettes to reduce these cognitive problems, as nicotine can improve cognitive function in these people. When people with schizophrenia stop smoking it causes further cognitive difficulties, which makes quitting harder for them compared to people without schizophrenia. A method called repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) allows clinicians to give repeated magnetic pulses through the scalp to cause changes in brain activity and behaviour. rTMS can improve cognitive function in people with schizophrenia. Studies have also shown that rTMS can reduce tobacco craving and consumption of cigarettes. Therefore, we believe that rTMS will improve the cognitive deficits observed during cigarette smoking abstinence and help reduce cravings for cigarettes. Ultimately, rTMS may help smokers with schizophrenia who can't quit smoking with available treatments. This study will examine the effect of rTMS on tobacco cravings and cognitive problems produced by overnight abstinence from cigarette smoking in persons with schizophrenia in comparison to people without mental illness who smoke. Important information about the potential of rTMS for the treatment of cognitive deficits and tobacco addiction in schizophrenia will be obtained. Providing more effective smoking cessation treatments in people with schizophrenia may lead to improved physical and mental health for these patients, who are extremely susceptible to tobacco addiction and tobacco-related illness.
Nicotine Related Brain Activity: The Influence of Smoking History and Blood Nicotine Levels
Nicotine DependenceIn this study, we sought to explore brain activity in nicotine-dependent men in response to acute intravenous nicotine using pharmacological magnetic resonance imaging (phMRI).
Medications Development for the Treatment of Cannabis Related Disorders
Nicotine WithdrawalMarijuana Dependence3 moreThe primary objective of this application is to test the neurobehavioral mechanisms and effects of aprepitant as a new cessation agent for cannabis, tobacco or both.
Feasibility of Delivering a Quitline Based Smoking Cessation Intervention in Cancer Patients
Lung CancerTobacco Use Disorder3 moreRATIONALE: Continued smoking after a cancer diagnosis has important health consequences beyond the risks associated with smoking in the general population. Smoking reduces the efficacy of cancer treatments including surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. Despite the negative consequences, it is estimated that between 15-75% of patients with cancer continue to smoke after their cancer diagnosis. Lung, breast, prostate, colorectal, bladder, head & neck, and cervical cancer patients were chosen because there is evidence of potential clinical benefit associated with quitting smoking in all of these populations and they represent a mix of both smoking and non-smoking related cancers.
Sensitivity to Intravenous Nicotine: Genetic Moderators
Nicotine DependenceTo determine if the mu opioid receptor gene (OPRM1) A118G polymorphism moderates the subjective-rewarding effects of intravenous (IV) nicotine in male and female smokers. The subjective effects of nicotine will be measured with a Drug Effects Questionnaire, including the ratings of "good effects" and "drug liking". We hypothesize that smokers with the AG/GG genotype for the OPRM1 A118G will have attenuated subjective-rewarding effects from IV nicotine when compared to those with AA genotype.