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E-Cigarettes may dull the Brain's response to smoking triggers

NCT ID NCT01782599

Disease control Sponsor: Mclean Hospital Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing This study
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jul 14, 2026 · Last updated Jul 15, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study investigates whether using an electronic cigarette, along with a nicotine patch, can lessen smokers' automatic reactions to smoking-related cues like seeing someone smoke or smelling cigarette smoke. The researchers will measure these reactions through questionnaires, brain scans, and behavioral tests. The trial enrolls daily smokers aged 18 to 45 who are willing to use nicotine replacement therapy and e-cigarettes for 2 to 3 weeks.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
dual nicotine patch and electronic cigarette
What this could lead to
If successful, this could show that e-cigarettes help smokers manage cravings triggered by smoking cues, potentially aiding smoking cessation.
What could go wrong
This is a small, early-stage study focused on cue reactivity, not long-term quitting. Results may not translate to real-world smoking reduction or cessation.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

About 125 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Start date

Jan 2013

Expected to finish

Mar 2027

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 to 45 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: 1. Provide written informed consent. 2. Be aged 18-45. 3. Report smoking cigarettes daily in the past 6 months. 4. Have expired breath CO indicative of regular smoking. 5. Have a score greater than 0 on the FTND. 6. Be willing to use Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) and the e-cigarette for a period of 2 to 3 weeks. 7. Speak and read English. 8. Pass an MRI safety screen and meet inclusion criteria for MRI scans. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Be pregnant (measured via urinalysis). 2. Meet current abuse or dependence criteria for any substance other than nicotine or caffeine (measured via the SCID 5). 3. Produce a positive urine screen for drugs of abuse or alcohol at the fMRI scan visits. 4. Meet DSM-IV criteria for major depressive episode in the past six months, lifetime DSM-IV diagnosis of organic mental disorder, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder, delusional disorder or psychotic disorders not elsewhere classified (measured via the SCID 5). 5. Be currently suicidal as assessed by DSM 5 and the Beck Depression Inventory. 6. Current use of medications or any history of a medical condition that might affect the central nervous system at the time of scanning including: Abnormal structural MRI, or a history of head trauma or injury causing loss of consciousness lasting longer than 3 minutes or associated with skull fracture or intracranial bleeding or who had irremovable magnetically active objects on or within their body, history of epilepsy, current use of a beta-blocker or prescription analgesic/anxiolytic. (assessed by self-report). 7. MRI exclusion criteria. (additional information outlined in the "protection of human subjects" section). 8. History of claustrophobia. 9. History of propylene glycol sensitivity/allergy.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

nicotine dependence

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Nicotine dependence

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Mclean Hospital Imaging Center

    Belmont, Massachusetts, 02478, United States

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