Enhancing Relapse Prevention for Smoking Cessation With Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

This project seeks to improve scientific knowledge of the decision-making processes of smokers and improve tobacco dependence treatments. The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) influences decision-making by integrating inhibitory mechanisms with emotionally charged information from limbic regions, thereby exerting an inhibitory influence on seductive, immediately rewarding options with long-term costs, such as smoking. Delay discounting is the degree to which one de-values delayed outcomes, such as future health and long life. Converging evidence indicates that choosing a delayed option with a larger reward is associated with increased activity in the DLPFC. This study proposes that choosing to smoke after making a decision to quit reflects a situation where the DLPFC is insufficiently activated to exert an inhibitory influence on the immediately rewarding option of smoking.

Preliminary studies indicate that stimulation of the DLPFC with 20 Hz high frequency repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) reduces delay discounting (i.e., causes individuals to choose delayed, higher value options); reduces cigarette consumption in smokers intending to quit; improves executive function, learning, memory, and attention; is a promising adjunct to cognitive-behavioral treatment of other disorders; and is likely to improve the efficacy of existing cognitive-behavioral treatments for tobacco dependence.

The goal of this study is to make an informed recommendation, based on measures of feasibility, of whether or not this intervention should be tested for efficacy. A double blind, randomized between-subjects treatment (active or sham) design will be employed in which all subjects are exposed to the same relapse prevention materials during rTMS stimulation.

Aim 1: Examine the feasibility of combining high frequency rTMS with an evidence-based, self-help, cognitive-behavioral relapse prevention intervention using multiple feasibility indicators (demand, acceptability, practicality, limited-efficacy testing, and adequate blinding).

Aim 2: Examine differences in delay discounting between the active and the sham conditions 2, 4, 8, and 12 weeks after the quit day.

Aim 3: Use latency to relapse comparisons to calculate estimates of the effect size of this intervention on abstinence.

Inclusion criteria

• 21-65 years old
• Are fluent in English and be able to read English at the 8th grade level
• Pass the Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Adult Safety and Screening Questionnaire (TASS)
• Report smoking 5-20 cigarettes daily
• Intend to quit smoking in the next 30 days
• Report a motivation level to quit of ≥7 (scale 0-10)
• Pass a urine drug screen for drugs of abuse (marijuana, cocaine, opioids, amphetamines, etc.)
• No plans to move from the area NYC area in the next 4 months and have a consistent, reliable method of communication so that study staff can successfully contact them

Exclusion criteria

• self-reported claustrophobia
• personal history of epilepsy
• use of anticonvulsant medication
• head injury, aneurysm, stroke, or previous cranial neurosurgery
• diagnosis of major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, a schizophrenia-spectrum disorder, tinnitus, or migraines
• metal implants in the head, neck, or cochlea; a pacemaker
• currently taking medications that lower seizure threshold (i.e., such as tricyclic antidepressants or bupropion)
• known pre-existing noise induced hearing loss or concurrent treatment of ototoxic medications (i.e., Aminoglycosides, Cisplatine)
• currently using medications for tobacco cessation (i.e., nicotine replacement, bupropion, varenicline, etc.)
• pregnant or planning to become pregnant in the next 12 weeks
• current regular use of forms of tobacco other than cigarettes