Using pleasant smells to reduce cigarette cravings

Cognitive and Affective Mechanisms Underlying an Olfactory Approach to Modify Cigarette Craving: A Neurobehavioral Investigation

This study tests if pleasant smells can help reduce cigarette cravings in smokers.

Quick facts

• Phase: Not applicable
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 250 (estimated)
• Ages: 18 Years to 49 Years
• Sex: All
• Sponsor: University of Pittsburgh (Academic / other)
• Locations: 1 site (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
• Trial ID: NCT04902469 on ClinicalTrials.gov

What this trial studies

This study investigates how pleasant olfactory cues can influence cigarette cravings in smokers. It involves 278 participants who will be randomized to either a pleasant odor condition or a neutral odor condition. Participants will undergo a series of assessments, including fMRI scans and behavioral measures, to analyze the neurobehavioral mechanisms at play. The study aims to identify individual differences in craving responses and the effectiveness of olfactory cues in craving relief.

Who should consider this trial

Good fit: Ideal candidates are adult smokers aged 18-49 who are either daily or nondaily smokers and have an intact sense of smell.

Not a fit: Patients with medical conditions contraindicating nicotine use or those with current neurological disorders may not benefit from this study.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could provide a novel method for reducing cigarette cravings and aiding smoking cessation.

How similar studies have performed: While the use of olfactory cues in addiction treatment is a relatively novel approach, preliminary studies suggest potential benefits, though this specific methodology has not been extensively tested.

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

* Aged 18-49
* Right-handed
* Fluent in English
* Intact sense of smell
* Pass an MRI safety screening and along these lines will need to be 250lbs or less to safely enter the MRI
* No drug dependence outside of nicotine or caffeine
* Must fit into one of two categories of smokers, daily or nondaily, as confirmed by verbal self-report and a baseline CO reading; Daily smokers: must smoke 10-30 cigarettes per day for at least 12 months, Nondaily smokers: must smoke for 1-14 days of the last 30 days with no more than 20 cigarettes a day
* Need to have access to a working smartphone to complete the ecological momentary assessment portion of the study

Exclusion Criteria:

* Medical conditions that contraindicate nicotine use
* Not fluent in English
* Illiterate
* Current neurological or psychotic disorders
* Current psychoactive drug use
* MRI contraindications such as stroke history, pregnancy, metal in the body, history of aneurysms, or serious head injury
* Individuals will also be excluded if they report any allergies to the odors used in our study.
* Baseline CO readings will need to be consistent with our criteria for daily and nondaily smokers for participants to be considered eligible. Specifically, we plan to rule out extremely heavy smokers (nondeprived CO \> 55, for whom the smoking abstinence requirement may be too extreme to allow a sensitive test of our OC manipulation) and daily smokers with a nondeprived CO reading \<10 PPM as this would raise concerns that they do smoke enough to be classified as a daily smoker.

Where this trial is running

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

• The University of Pittsburgh — Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States (Recruiting)

Study contacts

• Principal investigator: Michael A Sayette, PhD — The University of Pittsburgh
• Study coordinator: Michael A Sayette, PhD

Conditions Craving; Olfaction; mechanistic study