Understanding vaping withdrawal and ways to help people quit
Evaluation of the Electronic Cigarette Withdrawal Syndrome: Mechanistic Targets for Intervention
This project looks at the withdrawal symptoms adults experience when they stop using e-cigarettes and tests how nicotine affects those symptoms.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Johns Hopkins University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Baltimore, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11175477 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
From a patient perspective, participants who only vape will live in a monitored residential unit for one week and stop using e-cigarettes while researchers watch what happens. About 120 healthy adults will be enrolled and assigned to different nicotine conditions so the team can see how nicotine shapes cravings, mood, sleep, and thinking. The study will collect behavioral, biological, and biometric measurements and use active follow-up during the residential period. Results aim to pinpoint targets for treatments to make quitting vaping easier.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Healthy adults aged 21 or older who exclusively use e-cigarettes and are willing to stop vaping and stay in a monitored residential research unit for about one week.
Not a fit: People who currently smoke combustible cigarettes, are under 21, pregnant, or unable/unwilling to stay onsite in a residential research setting would likely not be eligible or benefit from participating.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could identify specific symptoms and mechanisms to target with treatments that help people quit e-cigarettes more successfully.
How similar studies have performed: Cigarette withdrawal has been well-studied and treatments exist, but controlled research specifically on e-cigarette (vaping) withdrawal is limited and this project addresses that gap.
Where this research is happening
Baltimore, United States
- Johns Hopkins University — Baltimore, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Spindle, Tory Richard — Johns Hopkins University
- Study coordinator: Spindle, Tory Richard
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.