Smartphone-Delivered Attentional Bias Modification Training in Helping Patients Quit Smoking

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:

I. To determine the feasibility of smartphone-delivered, in-home attentional bias modification (ABM) to reduce attentional bias (AB) to smoking cues and to reduce smoking behavior in the short- and long-term.

OUTLINE: Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 arms.

ARM I: Patients receive ABM training over 30 minutes through a smartphone on days 1-14. Patients then receive nicotine patches for up to 8 weeks.

ARM II: Patients undergo sham training on days 1-14. Patients then receive nicotine patches for up to 8 weeks.

After completion of study treatment, patients are followed up on days 15, 29, 43, 57, and 72.

Inclusion criteria

• Smoke an average of 5 or more cigarettes or little cigars per day (CPD) prior to telephone screen
• Produce an expired carbon monoxide (CO) level greater than or equal to 6 parts per million (ppm) or a NicAlert reading of > 2
• Have a working telephone
• Interested in quitting smoking in the next 30 days
• Fluency in spoken and written English
• Must sign the picture consent form

Exclusion criteria

• Taking psychotropic, anticonvulsive, or narcotic medication
• Meet criteria for a current major depressive episode or suicidality
• Have a history of neurological illness or closed head injury
• Report uncorrected vision problems
• Involved in current smoking cessation activity
• Testing positive on a urine drug screen for drugs of abuse/potential abuse
• Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding
• Considered by the investigator to be an unsuitable or unstable candidate (e.g., due to cognitive impairment)
• Shares the same address as a currently enrolled participant
• Unwilling to alter or remove hairstyle, hair extensions, or wig during the clinic visits to allow for correct electroencephalography (EEG) sensor placement
• Reports diagnosis of seizure disorder
• Unwilling to use nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) patches