Non-Invasive Deep Brain Neuromodulation for Smoking Cessation

February 10, 2026 updated by: Xiaoming Du, The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston
This study will develop novel low intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU) therapy to help people to quit cigarette smoking. Smoking is associated with cancers of the lung. Available smoking cessation methods help many to quit. However, for the many who continue to smoke despite the strong desire to quit and after exhausting existing therapeutic approaches, new treatment methods are needed. Without more effective treatment, many will continue to smoke, and our progress on cancer prevention through smoking cessation may decelerate as these associated cancer risks will remain. Brain imaging research has identified specific areas of the brain linked to severe nicotine addiction, but up to now there are no effective ways to directly target most of these deeper brain regions. LIFU is a new and safe method to modulate brain functions that can either inhibit overactive activity or restore normal activity levels. The purpose of this study is to provide a novel ultrasound-based neuromodulation strategy for smoking cessation in people who have difficulty to quit smoking despite numerous serious attempts in their lives. LIFU works by sending acoustic pressure modulating neural activity in the human brain.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

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 (Estimated)

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.
100

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.

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

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

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Must be a smoker for 5 or more years and within 20 to 60 years of age
  2. Must not meet exclusion criteria for MRI scanning (e.g., non-fixed magnetizable objects)
  3. Must not have ongoing unstable medical, neurological or psychiatric illness as determined by a combination of history, medical record, and/or examination.
  4. Must be a current smoker with average of 5 cigarettes or more a day for the last month or longer.
  5. Report 3 or more trials of smoking cessation attempts using nicotine replacement, e-cig, TMS, varenicline or other smoking cessation drugs, psychotherapy or other means.

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Failed TMS screening questionnaire.
  2. Significant alcohol or other drug use (substance dependence within the recent months) or positive urine toxicology screen for substance not prescribed other than nicotine or marijuana dependence.
  3. Cannot refrain from using alcohol and/or marijuana 24 hours or more prior to experiments.
  4. Taking > 400 mg clozapine/day and not on anti-seizure medication(s) with sufficient dose.
  5. Woman who is pregnant (child-bearing potential but not on contraceptive and missing menstrual period; or by self-report; or by positive pregnancy test) or has had unprotected sexual intercourse without birth control in the last 4 weeks.
  6. In ongoing smoking cessation treatment, clinical trial, or nicotine replacements (except for the current study)

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: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Double

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: Active low intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU)
Participants in this group will receive active LIFU treatment
Device: Low intensity focused ultrasound with active stimulations
Participants will receive two LIFU sessions a week for 4 weeks.
Sham Comparator: Sham LIFU
Participants in this group will receive sham LIFU treatment
Device: low intensity focused ultrasound with sham stimulations
Participants will receive two LIFU sessions a week for 4 weeks.

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
Cigarette per day (CPD)
Time Frame: Baseline, session 1 (about 1-2 days after baseline), session 8 (about 4 weeks after baseline), and 1-week follow up (about 5 weeks after baseline).
Cigarette per day (CPD) is measured to index smoking reduction and cessation.
Baseline, session 1 (about 1-2 days after baseline), session 8 (about 4 weeks after baseline), and 1-week follow up (about 5 weeks after baseline).
Brain connectivity as indicated by resting state functional connectivity (rsFC) value as assessed by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)
Time Frame: session 1 (about 1-2 days after baseline) and session 8 (about 4 weeks after baseline).
The strength of rsFC from fMRI is used to represent the brain activities that are corresponding to the transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) effect on smoking reduction/cessation.
session 1 (about 1-2 days after baseline) and session 8 (about 4 weeks after baseline).

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
End-expired carbon monoxide (CO)
Time Frame: Baseline, session 1 (about 1-2 days after baseline), session 8 (about 4 weeks after baseline), and 1-week follow up (about 5 weeks after baseline).
End-expired CO measure is an instant measure of smoking status, with higher CO level indicating more severe recent smoking behavior.
Baseline, session 1 (about 1-2 days after baseline), session 8 (about 4 weeks after baseline), and 1-week follow up (about 5 weeks after baseline).
Urinary cotinine level
Time Frame: Baseline, session 1 (about 1-2 days after baseline), session 8 (about 4 weeks after baseline), and 1-week follow up (about 5 weeks after baseline).
Urinary cotinine is an index of smoking status, with higher cotinine concentrations indicating more severe smoking behavior.
Baseline, session 1 (about 1-2 days after baseline), session 8 (about 4 weeks after baseline), and 1-week follow up (about 5 weeks after baseline).
Quit rate (%)
Time Frame: Session 1 (about 1-2 days after baseline), session 8 (about 4 weeks after baseline), and 1-week follow up (about 5 weeks after baseline).
Quit rate is an index of smoking cessation effects of the treatment.
Session 1 (about 1-2 days after baseline), session 8 (about 4 weeks after baseline), and 1-week follow up (about 5 weeks after baseline).

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.
The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Xiaoming Du, PhD, The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston

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 (Estimated)

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.
March 15, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

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.
November 30, 2030

Study Completion (Estimated)

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 30, 2030

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).
December 19, 2025

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.
December 19, 2025

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.
December 23, 2025

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.
February 11, 2026

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.
February 10, 2026

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.
February 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

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.
  • HSC-MS-25-1070

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

Yes

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

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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