Varenicline and Cognitive Bias Modification on Smoking Cue Response

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Effects of Varenicline and Cognitive Bias Modification on Neural Response to Smoking Cues

• IRAS ID

  79367

• Contact name

  Tim Williams

• Sponsor organisation

  University of Bristol

• Eudract number

  2011-004169-34

• ISRCTN Number

  n/a

• Research summary

  Stimuli that are repeatedly and contingently paired with drug administration can acquire powerful motivational properties and can precipitate craving and drug seeking. As a result, excessive motivational salience is attributed to drug-related stimuli and drug users often allocate attention either selectively or disproportionately towards them. Cognitive biases for drug stimuli have been reported in users of numerous drugs and have been positively associated with drug craving, future drug use, approach behaviours to drug-related cues and increased likelihood of relapse. Given this well-reported association between cognitive bias and drug use, programmes aimed at reducing cognitive bias are considered promising targets for therapeutic intervention. Recent research indicates that it is possible to ??train? attention away from relevant stimuli using a computer-based cognitive bias modification (CBM) procedure. Cognitive bias modification (CBM) may have clinical therapeutic value for smoking cessation if it is shown to reduce responding to environmental smoking-related cues. Therefore we propose to examine the impact of a CBM procedure on the brain??s responses to smoking related cues using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Treatment with varenicline has also been proposed to modify responding to environmental smoking-related cues, and it is possible that varenicline may therefore potentiate the effects of CBM on responding to smoking-related cues. Our primary objective, therefore, is to establish whether CBM alters the neural response to smoking-related cues, to determine the neurobiological basis of this intervention and establish the conditions for subsequent clinical research in treatment-seeking smokers. Our secondary objective is to explore whether these effects are enhanced by varenicline treatment, which is itself effective as a smoking cessation pharmacotherapy. There are strong theoretical grounds for expecting that this might be the case, and this would allow the possibility of delivering cognitive-behavioural and pharmacological therapies in parallel to improve cessation rates and reduce relapse rates.

• REC name

  London - Brent Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  11/LO/1726

• Date of REC Opinion

  7 Feb 2012

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion