Sound waves in the brain: a new hope for smokers?
NCT ID NCT07298902
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests a new, non-invasive treatment using low-intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU) to help people quit smoking. It targets deep brain areas linked to nicotine addiction without surgery or needles. The study will enroll 100 adults who have smoked for at least 5 years and have tried to quit multiple times. The goal is to reduce or stop smoking by safely modulating brain activity.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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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
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About 100 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Apr 2026
- Expected to finish
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Nov 2030
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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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
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20 to 60 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
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: 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)
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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.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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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
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The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
RECRUITINGHouston, Texas, 77030, 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?
- A simple phone call could be the key to helping smokers quit
- Remote group sessions may hold key to long-term smoking abstinence
- Diabetes drug shows promise to help smokers kick the habit
- Gut bacteria may hold key to smoking cessation in addiction recovery
- VR goggles could reveal secrets of smoking cravings