How nicotine amount and sweet flavors change addiction risk
Addictive Threshold of Nicotine and the Impact of Sweeteners
This project looks at how different nicotine doses and added sweet flavors change the addictive effects of nicotine for people who use cigarettes or e-cigarettes.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Yale University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New Haven, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11159815 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you take part, researchers will receive carefully measured doses of nicotine by IV that mimic the nicotine hit from a puff and will track how those doses affect craving, reward, and reinforcement. The team will compare dose effects across people and test whether common sweeteners or flavors make low nicotine doses more appealing or habit-forming. Visits will include controlled laboratory sessions with questionnaires, behavioral tasks, and safety monitoring. The goal is to identify dose levels and flavor interactions that make nicotine less likely to lead to dependence.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are adults who currently use cigarettes or e-cigarettes and are medically healthy enough for brief inpatient or outpatient laboratory procedures.
Not a fit: People who have never used nicotine, pregnant individuals, or those with serious heart or medical conditions would likely be ineligible and not benefit directly from participation.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Results could help guide rules or product standards that make cigarettes and e-cigarettes less likely to cause addiction.
How similar studies have performed: Previous IV nicotine studies have shown clear dose-related effects on reward and craving, but combining dose-threshold work with the impact of sweeteners is a relatively new approach.
Where this research is happening
New Haven, United States
- Yale University — New Haven, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Sofuoglu, Mehmet — Yale University
- Study coordinator: Sofuoglu, Mehmet
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.