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The purpose of this research study is to better understand why people gain weight when they quit smoking by examining food intake and changes in brain activity in smokers when they are smoking as usual compared to when they have been deprived of cigarettes (i.e., have not smoked for 4 days) as compared to a non-smoker control group.
Tobacco use and obesity are the two leading causes of preventable deaths. Because these two behaviors share common brain reward mechanisms, reducing one behavior often leads to increases in the other behavior. Behavioral Economic and Incentive Salience models shed much light on this clinical problem. Smoking cessation produces reward dysregulation that can alter the motivational salience of other reinforcers, particularly food. After stopping smoking, smokers increase between-meal snacking, especially foods high in fat and sugar. Increases in caloric intake occur within days of quitting smoking, and are clinically significant. The investigators have also shown that smoking cessation produces working memory deficits and reduces activity in the brain's cognitive control circuits, making it even more difficult to exert self-control over temptations to eat highly rewarding foods. Thus, smokers have a double challenge: food becomes more salient and reinforcing at a time when their neurocognitive resources are compromised.
Neuroimaging can identify mechanisms underlying behavior change beyond self-report and behavioral measures. The proposed functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study breaks new ground by integrating concepts and tools from the fields of behavioral economics and cognitive neuroscience to accelerate the study of mechanisms underlying PCWG. The investigators will use a previously validated within-subject crossover neuroimaging study design to examine changes in working memory, food salience (cue-induced craving), and food reinforcement processes in the brain after 4 days of smoking cessation (vs. smoking as usual). A non-smoker control group will provide insight into baseline differences from smokers (abstinent and satiated). Caloric intake, the primary outcome, will be assessed using 24-hr. food recalls during each study period. The investigators will assess three parallel pathways including: working memory, food cue reactivity, and food reinforcement at the neural and behavioral levels.
This study will provide new insights about how the brain can constrain or promote the ability of smokers to prevent post cessation weight gain (PCWG) and lead to new interventions that integrate neural and behavioral framework. Support for our predictions would inform testing of novel approaches to prevent PCWG, such as computerized neurocognitive exercise training to increase DLPFC activity and shift activity away from reward sensitive brain networks.
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| Label | Type | Description | Intervention Names |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoker Group | Experimental | The smokers group will be scanned on 2 occasions: (1) after a 4 day monitored practice quit attempt (biochemically verified), and (2) after 4 days of smoking as usual (order counterbalanced). |
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| Non-Smoking Comparison Group | No Intervention | Healthy non-smokers will complete one period (comparable to abstinence arm) of the study to serve as a baseline comparison group. |
| Name | Type | Description | Arm Group Labels | Other Names |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Practice Quit Attempt | Other | Smokers will be studied under 2 conditions: smoking as usual and during a 4 day practice quit attempt. |
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| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Abstinence Induced Change in Task BOLD Signal Change | The primary outcome measure is change in BOLD signal for the Food Cue-Induced Craving primary regions of interest for the BOLD fMRI analysis are anterior cingulate gyrus (ACC), Insula, Ventral Striatum (VS), and orbital frontal cortex (OFC). For the Working Memory N-Back Task the primary regions of interest for the BOLD analysis will be dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and posterior cingulate gyrus (PCC). | BOLD fMRI is collected on days 4 and 32 of protocol |
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Inclusion Criteria
Male and female participants who are between 18 and 45 years of age.
Smoking group - 80 treatment-seeking smokers who self-report smoking at least 10 cigarettes (menthol and/or non-menthol) per day for at least the last 6 months. Smoking status will be confirmed by CO greater than or equal to 8 parts per million (ppm) at the Intake Visit.
Non-smoking group - 30 individuals reporting fewer than 100 lifetime cigarettes and not even a puff of a cigarette for a minimum of 2 years. Smoking status of non-smokers will be confirmed by CO less than 5ppm. They will be matched to the smoker group on age, sex, and education.
Plan to live in the area for the duration of the study (i.e. ~8 weeks/2 months).
Capable of giving written informed consent, which includes compliance with the requirements and restrictions listed in the combined consent and HIPAA form.
Smokers who wish to make a permanent quit attempt in the next 1-2 months (treatment-seeking), because our prior work suggests that motivated subjects are more sensitive to medication effects on smoking behavior. Using a scale from 0 to 100 (100, being extremely interested), subjects must rate their interest in quitting smoking within the next 1-2 months greater than 50.
Able to communicate fluently in English (i.e. speaking, writing, and reading).
Exclusion Criteria
Subjects who present and/or self-report with the following criteria will not be eligible to participate in the study:
Smoking Behavior
Alcohol and Drug
Medical
Women who are pregnant, breast feeding, or planning a pregnancy over the duration of the study period. Women must agree to use an adequate form of contraception or abstain from sexual intercourse for the duration of the study.
Current treatment of cancer or diagnosed with cancer (except basal or squamous-cell carcinoma not treated with chemotherapy and/or radiation) in the past 6 months.
Poorly controlled, brittle, or pump-dependent Type I diabetes.
Current peptic ulcer bleeding.
Active hepatitis or poorly controlled kidney and/or liver disease.
Serious or unstable disease within the past 6 months. Notable diseases will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis by the Principal Investigator and/or the Study Physician.
Any impairment including, but not limited to, visual, physical, and/or neurological impairments preventing proper completion of the study procedures. Notable impairments will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis by the Principal Investigator and/or the Study Physician.
Applicable food allergies or disorders:
Galactosemia a
Notable milk allergy (lactose intolerant participants may proceed unless they experience severe symptoms) b
Notable soy allergy c
Peanut allergy d a,b,c Boost® Original Very Vanilla Nutritional Shake: Contains milk and soy ingredients. Suitable for Lactose Intolerance.
Psychiatric
Medication
Current use or recent discontinuation (within the last 14 days) of:
Smoking cessation medication (e.g., Zyban, Wellbutrin, Wellbutrin SR, Chantix).
Benzodiazepines and/or Barbiturates.
Anti-psychotic medications.
Prescription stimulants (e.g., Provigil, Ritalin, Adderall).
Systemic steroids.
Medications for the use of addiction treatment.
Current use of:
Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT).
Heart medications such as digoxin, quinidine, and nitroglycerin.
Daily use of:
Opiate-containing medications for chronic pain.
Inhaled corticosteroids.
Subjects will be instructed to refrain from using any study-prohibited drugs/medications (both recreational and prescription) throughout their participation in the study. After final eligibility is confirmed, subjects who report taking contraindicated medication(s) over the course of the study period may only remain eligible if the Study Physician and Principal Investigator determine that the contraindicated medication(s) do/did not significantly impact the study design, data quality, and/or subject safety and welfare. Subjects are permitted to take necessary prescription medications not included within the exclusion list during the study.
General Exclusion
fMRI Exclusion Criteria
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| Name | Affiliation | Role |
|---|---|---|
| James Loughead | University of Pennsylvania | Principal Investigator |
| Facility | Status | City | State | ZIP | Country | Contacts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia | Pennsylvania | 19104 | United States |
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| ID | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| FG000 | Smoking Then Abstinent Group | The Smoking then Abstinent Group group will be scanned on 2 occasions:(1) after 4 days of smoking as usual, and (2) after a 4-day monitored practice quit attempt (biochemically verified). |
| FG001 | Abstinent Then Smoking Group | The Abstinent then Smoking Group group will be scanned on 2 occasions: (1) after a 4-day monitored practice quit attempt (biochemically verified), and (2) after 4 days of smoking as usual. |
| FG002 | Non-Smoking Comparison Group | Healthy non-smokers will complete one period (comparable to abstinence arm) of the study to serve as a baseline comparison group. |
| Title | Milestones | Reasons Not Completed | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scan 1(Smoking, Abstinent or Non-smoker) |
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| Washout Period (Smoking or Abstinent) |
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| Scan 2 (Smoking or Abstinent) |
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| ID | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| BG000 | Smoking Then Abstinent Group | The Smoking then Abstinent Group group will be scanned on 2 occasions:(1) after 4 days of smoking as usual, and (2) after a 4-day monitored practice quit attempt (biochemically verified). |
| BG001 | Abstinent Then Smoking Group |
| Units | Counts |
|---|---|
| Participants |
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| Title | Description | Population Description | Parameter Type | Dispersion Type | Unit of Measure | Calculate Percentage | Denominator Units Selected | Denominators | Classes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, Continuous | Mean |
| Type | Title | Description | Population Description | Reporting Status | Anticipated Posting Date | Parameter Type | Dispersion Type | Unit of Measure | Calculate Percentage | Time Frame | Units Analyzed | Denominator Units Selected | Arm/Group Information | Denominators | Classes | Analyses | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary | Abstinence Induced Change in Task BOLD Signal Change | The primary outcome measure is change in BOLD signal for the Food Cue-Induced Craving primary regions of interest for the BOLD fMRI analysis are anterior cingulate gyrus (ACC), Insula, Ventral Striatum (VS), and orbital frontal cortex (OFC). For the Working Memory N-Back Task the primary regions of interest for the BOLD analysis will be dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and posterior cingulate gyrus (PCC). | The smoking and abstinent fMRI session population is comprised of all smokers completing two fMRI sessions. The healthy comparison group is composed of all control group participants completing one fMRI scan. | Posted | Mean | Standard Deviation | percentage of signal change | BOLD fMRI is collected on days 4 and 32 of protocol |
|
Adverse event data was collected over 3 three-month period (2 months in person with 1-month phone follow-up).
Adverse event reporting includes the total number of participants by intervention, whereas the Participant Flow module reports participants by order of administration of intervention. For total at-risk in adverse event tables, the participants for the two counterbalanced orders are summed (e.g. 25 (smoking then abstinent)+26 (abstinent then smoking) = 51 total) for a total at-risk by intervention.
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| ID | Title | Description | Deaths (Affected) | Deaths (At Risk) | Serious Events (Affected) | Serious Events (At Risk) | Other Events (Affected) | Other Events (At Risk) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EG000 | Smoking as Usual (4 Days) | The Smoking session takes place after 4 days of smoking as usual. |
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| Term | Organ System | Source Vocabulary | Assessment Type | Notes | Statistical Information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| incidental finding | Nervous system disorders | Non-systematic Assessment | MRI Technologist reported possible incidental finding during MRI. Scans were evaluated by Study Physician who found nothing significant and no follow-up was required. |
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| Title | Organization | Phone | Extension | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Loughead, Ph.D. | Perlman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania | 215-205-1876 | loughead@pennmedicine.upenn.edu |
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| Type | Includes Protocol | Includes SAP | Includes ICF | Document Label | Document Date | Document Uploaded Date | Document File Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prot_SAP | Yes | Yes | No | Study Protocol and Statistical Analysis Plan | Aug 4, 2021 | May 7, 2024 | Prot_SAP_000.pdf |
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| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D014029 | Tobacco Use Disorder |
| D016540 | Smoking Cessation |
| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D019966 | Substance-Related Disorders |
| D064419 | Chemically-Induced Disorders |
| D001523 | Mental Disorders |
| D015438 | Health Behavior |
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This is a within-subject cross-over neuroimaging investigation of 3 potential neural mechanisms of increased caloric intake during initial smoking cessation. Eighty smokers will be scanned on 2 occasions: (1) after 4 days of monitored abstinence (biochemically verified), and (2) after 4 days of smoking as usual (order counterbalanced). In addition, 30 healthy non-smokers (matched for sex, age, and education) will complete one period of the study to serve as a baseline comparison group.
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Smoking participants will be studding under both smoking as usual and abstinent conditions (crossover) and non-smokers only under "abstinence."
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| change in eligibility |
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| NOT COMPLETED |
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| NOT COMPLETED |
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The Abstinent then Smoking Group group will be scanned on 2 occasions: (1) after a 4-day monitored practice quit attempt (biochemically verified), and (2) after 4 days of smoking as usual. |
| BG002 | Non-Smoking Comparison Group | Healthy non-smokers will complete one period (comparable to abstinence arm) of the study to serve as a baseline comparison group. |
| BG003 | Total | Total of all reporting groups |
| years |
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| Sex: Female, Male | Count of Participants | Participants |
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| Ethnicity (NIH/OMB) | Count of Participants | Participants |
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| Race (NIH/OMB) | Count of Participants | Participants |
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| OG001 | Abstinent fMRI Session | The Abstinent scan takes place after a 4-day monitored practice quit attempt (biochemically verified). |
| OG002 | Non-Smoking Comparison Group | Healthy non-smokers will complete one period (comparable to abstinence arm) of the study to serve as a baseline comparison group. |
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| 0 |
| 51 |
| 0 |
| 51 |
| 3 |
| 51 |
| EG001 | Washout (2 Weeks) | Washout occurs between scan 1 and scan 2 for the smoking group only. | 0 | 31 | 0 | 31 | 0 | 31 |
| EG002 | Abstinent (4 Day Practice Quit Attempt) | The Abstinent session takes place after a 4-day monitored practice quit attempt (biochemically verified). | 0 | 28 | 0 | 28 | 2 | 28 |
| EG003 | Non-Smoking Comparison Session | Healthy non-smokers will complete one period (comparable to abstinence arm) of the study to serve as a baseline comparison group. | 0 | 31 | 0 | 31 | 1 | 31 |
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| fatigue | General disorders | Non-systematic Assessment | A participant reported feeling fatigued and weak. |
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| Back Pain | General disorders | Non-systematic Assessment | A participant experienced back pain during MRI scan. |
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| tooth extraction | Surgical and medical procedures | Non-systematic Assessment | A participant had oral surgery for an impacted tooth. |
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| Swelling | Injury, poisoning and procedural complications | Non-systematic Assessment | Participants had minor injuries with swelling. Accidents were unrelated to study procedures |
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| D001519 | Behavior |