Neuroimaging Attentional Impairment During Abstinence
Completed · Not applicable
Conditions studied: Smoking
In brief
The broad objective of this proposal is to identify functional neuroanatomical correlates of impairments in sustained attention during smoking abstinence. We will measure changes in performance and regional blood oxygenation levels using fMRI while smokers and non-smokers complete a task designed to assess sustained attention-or the continuous monitoring of stimuli. Our primary hypothesis is that smoking abstinence will result in impaired sustained attention accompanied by decreases in blood-oxygenation-level-dependent (BOLD) fMRI signal in regions associated with sustained attention including right fronto-parietal cortex, thalamus and reticular activation system. Abstinence may also result in performance-related increases in activation in brain regions associated with effortful processing including the anterior cingulate cortex. We also hypothesize that smokers during the satiated state will exhibit brain activity more similar to that of non-smokers. In addition to task related brain responses, we will also measure changes in absolute regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) and hypothesize that abstinence will result in significant decreases in regions associated with arousal (e.g., reticular activation system); information processing (e.g., thalamus); and emotional regulation (e.g., anterior cingulate cortex, prefrontal cortex).
Key facts
- Study ID
- NCT00692406
- Run by
- Duke University
- People needed
- 80
- Starts
- 2005-06-01
- Expected to finish
- 2009-01-01
- Last updated by the study team
- 2013-03-28
Who can join
Age: 18 and older, up to 50. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: accepted.
You may qualify if…
- smoked an average of 10 cigarettes per day for two years
- a brand that delivers (by Federal Trade Commission rated yields) at least 0.5 mg nicotine
- have an expired air carbon monoxide reading of at least 10 ppm.
- be in general good health
- Participants with controlled medical conditions (e.g., hypertension) will be considered if treatment is not thought to interfere with fMRI measures or potentially ameliorate smoking withdrawal symptoms
You may not qualify if…
- Individuals with a major medical condition that would make participation unsafe (e.g., have pacemaker or other metallic implant),
- uncomfortable (e.g., chronic pain),
- confound results (e.g., psychiatric condition)
- suffering from claustrophobia; abnormally afraid of closed-in places will be excluded from participation,
- Current alcohol or drug abuse,
- smokeless tobacco use, or use of nicotine replacement therapy or other smoking cessation treatment will also be a basis for exclusion and evaluated via a urine test.
Where it is running
- Duke University Medical Center — Durham, North Carolina, United States
Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov
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