Behavioral Memory Modulation in Nicotine Addiction

In a recently published NIDA-funded study, the investigators found that lasting reductions in
craving and smoking could be achieved with a brief behavioral intervention designed to alter
memory processes underlying smoking-related nicotine addiction. The proposed project will
replicate and extend these findings by 1) increasing the dose of intervention so as to
bolster the observed treatment effects, 2) employing brain imaging methods to identify
patterns of brain activity uniquely associated with the intervention and potentially
predictive of treatment outcome, 3) extending follow-up period to more completely document
the long-term effects of the intervention. Positive findings from this study could lead to
the development of brief therapy that will not only improve treatment outcomes for smokers,
but also be used in the treatment other substance use disorders and frequently co-occurring
comorbidities such as PTSD.

Inclusion Criteria

1. Healthy men and women, ages 25 to 65, who have smoked at least 10 cigarettes per day
for at least 3 years.

2. Participants must live within a 50-mile radius of the research facility and have
reliable transportation.

3. Participants must be willing to abstain from smoking starting the night before the
baseline visit, and starting the night before visit 1 and remain abstinent for four
consecutive days.

4. Participants must agree to forego any other medication or behavioral treatment for
smoking cessation while enrolled in the study (with the exception of the SC Quitline).

Exclusion Criteria

1. Participants who are dependent on substances other than nicotine.

2. Women who are pregnant during the clinical assessment session or either of the fMRI
sessions. These participants must agree to notify the study staff if they become
pregnant during the study.