Examining Brain Responses Linked to Emotion in Individuals Who Smoke Cigarettes

March 4, 2025 updated by: Stephen Wilson, Penn State University
The study will use functional magnetic resonance imaging and facial coding methods to study individuals who smoke cigarettes. Smoking expectancy (the extent to which one perceives an opportunity to smoke a cigarette) will be manipulated using instructions, and the investigators will examine the effects of this manipulation on two primary endpoints under conditions designed to induce an urge to smoke: (1) brain responses measured using fMRI and (2) subjective affective responses measured using facial coding. Secondary endpoints include self-report measures of the desire to smoke and current affect.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
62

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.
  • Name: Stephen Wilson
  • Phone Number: 8148656219
  • Email: sjw42@psu.edu

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Pennsylvania
      • University Park, Pennsylvania, United States, 16870
        • The Pennsylvania State University

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

14 years to 41 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Participants must be between the ages of 21 and 55.
  • Participants must be right handed.
  • Participants must be fluent English speakers.
  • Participants must report smoking at least 6 cigarettes per day continuously for at least the 12 preceding months.
  • Participants must have a baseline expired air carbon monoxide (CO) exceeding a cutoff based upon prior research in order to verify smoking status.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Individuals will be excluded if they report that they are actively trying to quit smoking.
  • Individuals will be excluded if they report that they have had significant cardiovascular disease (such as heart disease, heart attack, stroke, or angina) or respiratory disease (such as asthma, chronic bronchitis, or COPD) during the past year.
  • Individuals will be excluded if they report that they have used any of the following illicit substances more than 10 times in the previous 30 days: marijuana, cocaine, opiates such as heroin, methadone, benzodiazepines (such as Valium, Xanax), barbiturates, amphetamines, methamphetamines, PCP, LSD or any other hallucinogen.
  • Individuals will be excluded if they report that they are currently taking prescription medications that previously have been found to affect blood flow responses in the brain.
  • Individuals will be excluded if they have any known risk from exposure to high-field strength magnetic fields (e.g., pace makers), any irremovable metallic foreign objects in their body (e.g., braces), or a questionable history of metallic fragments that are likely to create artifact on the MRI scans.
  • Individuals will be excluded if they meet criteria for current dependence on a substance other than nicotine based upon a brief structured interview.
  • Individuals will be excluded if they report that they are not willing to refrain from using alcohol and recreational drugs for 24 hours and nicotine for 12 hours before the experimental lab visit.
  • Individuals will be excluded if they currently use nicotine products other than cigarettes (e.g., chewing tobacco, snuff, e-cigarettes, or smoking cessation products).
  • Individuals will be excluded if they are claustrophobic or are prone to becoming very uncomfortable in confined spaces.
  • Individuals will be excluded if they report that they exclusively or primarily smoke "roll-your-own" cigarettes.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Basic Science
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Experimental: Expect-Yes
Participants assigned to this condition will undergo a verbal smoking expectancy manipulation such that they will perceive an opportunity to smoke during the experimental session.
Behavioral: Verbal smoking expectancy manipulation
Instructions regarding whether or not participants will have an opportunity to smoke during the experimental session.
Experimental: Experimental: Expect-No
Participants assigned to this condition will undergo a verbal smoking expectancy manipulation such that they will not perceive an opportunity to smoke during the experimental session.
Behavioral: Verbal smoking expectancy manipulation
Instructions regarding whether or not participants will have an opportunity to smoke during the experimental session.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Brain Activation During Smoking-related and Neutral Cues
Time Frame: Approximately Day 7 (Visit 2)
Blood-oxygen-level dependent (BOLD) signal measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was analyzed as participants were presented with smoking-related and neutral cues. Following preprocessing with fMRIPrep (version 20.2.7), the FMRI Expert Analysis Tool (FEAT) from FMRIB's Software Library (FSL; version 6.0.7.4) was used to characterize brain activation differences in response to smoking-related versus neutral cues. Contrast of parameter estimate (COPE) values were calculated for each participant, and these COPE values were then extracted for two a priori regions of interest (ROIs) to compare activation patterns between the groups. Larger COPE values indicate greater differences in brain activation between smoking-related and neutral cues,
Approximately Day 7 (Visit 2)
Coded Facial Expressions Linked to Affect During Smoking-related and Neutral Cues
Time Frame: Approximately Day 7 (Visit 2)
Subjective affective responses were measured by using FaceReader software (version 9.1.7) to code the valence (positive or negative) of facial movements associated with emotional expression during the presentation of smoking-related and neutral cues. Possible values for valence range from -1 to 1, with higher values indicating greater positive affect,
Approximately Day 7 (Visit 2)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Self-reported Urge to Smoke During Smoking-related and Neutral Cues
Time Frame: Approximately Day 7 (Visit 2)
Participants rated their urge to smoke during the presentation of smoking-related and neutral cues on a scale ranging from 1 (not at all) to 9 (extremely), with higher scores indicating a stronger desire to smoke. For each type of cue (smoking-related and neutral), repeated ratings were obtained across multiple trials. To report a single value for each Arm/Group, the ratings were averaged across all trials for each cue type.
Approximately Day 7 (Visit 2)
Self-reported Affect During Smoking-related and Neutral Cues
Time Frame: Approximately Day 7 (Visit 2)
Participants rated their current affect during the presentation of smoking-related and neutral cues on a scale ranging from 1 (very negative) to 9 (very positive), with higher scores indicating greater positive affect. For each type of cue (smoking-related and neutral), repeated ratings were obtained across multiple trials. To report a single value for each Arm/Group, the ratings were averaged across all trials for each cue type.
Approximately Day 7 (Visit 2)
Nicotine Dependence
Time Frame: Day 1 (Visit 1)
Participants' level of nicotine dependence was assessed using the total score on the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence to help characterize the sample. Possible scores on the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence range from 0 to 10, with higher scores indicating greater nicotine dependence.
Day 1 (Visit 1)
Brain Activation During Positive and Negative Emotion Cues
Time Frame: Approximately Day 7 (Visit 2)
Blood-oxygen-level dependent (BOLD) signal measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was analyzed as participants were presented with cues designed to elicit positive and negative emotion. Following preprocessing with fMRIPrep (version 20.2.7), the FMRI Expert Analysis Tool (FEAT) from FMRIB's Software Library (FSL; version 6.0.7.4) was used to characterize brain activation in response to positive and negative emotion cues. Contrast of parameter estimate (COPE) values were calculated for each participant, and these COPE values were then extracted for two a priori regions of interest (ROIs) to compare activation patterns between the groups. Larger COPE values indicate greater differences in brain activation between positive and negative emotion cues.
Approximately Day 7 (Visit 2)
Coded Facial Expressions Linked to Affect During Positive and Negative Emotion Cues
Time Frame: Approximately Day 7 (Visit 2)
Subjective affective responses were measured by using FaceReader software (version 9.1.7) to code the valence (positive or negative) of facial movements associated with emotional expression during the presentation of cues designed to elicit positive and negative emotion. Possible values for valence range from -1 to 1, with higher values indicating greater positive affect,
Approximately Day 7 (Visit 2)
Self-reported Urge to Smoke During Positive and Negative Emotion Cues
Time Frame: Approximately Day 7 (Visit 2)
Participants rated their urge to smoke during the presentation of cues designed to elicit positive and negative emotions on a scale ranging from 1 (not at all) to 9 (extremely), with higher scores indicating a stronger desire to smoke. For each type of cue (positive and negative emotion), repeated ratings were obtained across multiple trials. To report a single value for each Arm/Group, the ratings were averaged across all trials for each cue type.
Approximately Day 7 (Visit 2)
Self-reported Affect During Positive and Negative Emotion Cues
Time Frame: Approximately Day 7 (Visit 2)
Participants rated their current affect during the presentation of cues designed to elicit positive and negative emotion on a scale ranging from 1 (very negative) to 9 (very positive), with higher scores indicating greater positive affect. For each type of cue (positive and negative emotion), repeated ratings were obtained across multiple trials. To report a single value for each Arm/Group, the ratings were averaged across all trials for each cue type.
Approximately Day 7 (Visit 2)

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Penn State University

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
October 4, 2019

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
June 30, 2023

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
November 28, 2023

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
March 11, 2020

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
March 13, 2020

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
March 17, 2020

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
March 25, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
March 4, 2025

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
March 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • STUDY00011266
  • R21DA045853 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

IPD Plan Description

De-identified data and related materials (e.g., scripts) will be made publicly available on the Open Science Framework (OSF) to facilitate replication. Similarly, unthresholded fMRI statistical maps will be made publicly available on NeuroVault.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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