Yale scientists seek Nicotine's 'Addiction Threshold' in smokers
NCT ID NCT06096714
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study aims to find the smallest amount of nicotine that smokers find rewarding or addictive. Researchers will test different nicotine doses in 45 adult smokers to see which dose they can identify and prefer. The goal is to better understand how addiction develops, which could inform future prevention or treatment strategies.
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
-
Early phase 1
The earliest testing in people: a first look at safety, in a very small group.
- Participants
-
About 45 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
-
Feb 2024
- Expected to finish
-
Oct 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
-
21 to 59 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 Hide 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: * to contact their primary care provider when necessary. * Adults, aged 21 to 59 years. Individuals less than 21 will be excluded because the minimum age for purchasing tobacco products is 21 in our state. The upper age is set at 59 because there are no previous IV nicotine studies that enrolled smokers over the age of 59. * Smoking at least for one year and more frequently than once a week, smoking status confirmed with a semi-quantitative urine nicotine test. Smokers will be stratified based on the level of dependence, assessed with the FTND scores (Heatherton et al. 1991) (low or no dependence 4 and moderate or high level of dependence 5. * In good health as verified by medical history, screening examination, and screening laboratory tests. * For women, report using acceptable birth control methods. Exclusion Criteria: * History of major medical or psychiatric disorders that the physician investigator deems as contraindicated for the participant to be in the study * regular current use of certain psychotropic medications (such as mood stabilizers, antipsychotics, or anxiolytics being prescribed to treat bipolar disorder, psychosis or anxiety spectrum disorders, respectively) * current untreated alcohol or substance use disorder for any other recreational or prescription drugs other than nicotine * for women, pregnant as determined by pregnancy screening, or breastfeeding * seeking (or undergoing) treatment for tobacco dependence or smoking.
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Nicotine dependence are added.
By submitting, you agree to our Terms of use
Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
-
The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
-
The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
-
A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
VA Healthcare System
RECRUITINGWest Haven, Connecticut, 06516, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Nicotine flux: a new way to gauge how addictive E-Cigarettes are?
- Practice quitting: a new way to help smokers who Aren't ready to stop?
- Can a Quit-Smoking program built for transgender adults help them stop?
- Mindfulness meets wearable tech in a new bid to break the smoking habit
- Could a Nicotine-Free cigarette break the habit?
- Can sleep patterns explain racial gaps in smoking cravings?