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RECRUITING
NCT07812753
NA

Modulating Neural Mechanisms of Reward Processing in Tobacco Users

Sponsor: Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

View on ClinicalTrials.gov

Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if a personalized, brain-scan-guided form of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) works better than a standard TMS approach at changing reward-related brain activity in adults who smoke cigarettes. The main questions it aims to answer are: Does personalized TMS produce a greater change in reward-related brain activity than the standard approach? Does personalized TMS lead to a greater reduction in cravings and cigarette smoking than the standard approach? Researchers will compare personalized TMS, which targets a treatment location chosen from each participant's own brain scan, to a standard TMS approach, which targets a location based on anatomical landmarks, to see if the personalized approach produces stronger effects on brain reward activity and smoking behavior. Participants will: Complete an magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain scan and questionnaires about their smoking habits and mood Be randomly assigned to receive either personalized TMS or the standard TMS approach Attend 15 TMS treatment sessions over 3 weeks (Monday through Friday), including brain wave (EEG) recordings and craving check-ins before and after each session Return for follow-up visits 1 week and 1 month after finishing treatment

Key Details

Gender

All

Age Range

18 Years - 60 Years

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Enrollment

54

Start Date

2026-07-24

Completion Date

2029-07-15

Last Updated

2026-09-10

Healthy Volunteers

No

Interventions

DEVICE

PRIME TMS

Repetitive TMS (10 Hz, 3,000 pulses per session, 110% resting motor threshold) delivered via a figure-8 coil using robotic neuronavigation. The stimulation target is an individualized dorsolateral prefrontal cortex location identified from each participant's diffusion-weighted MRI as having maximal structural connectivity to the midcingulate cortex. Delivered over 15 sessions across 3 weeks, concurrently with a brief reward-based cognitive task performed during inter-train intervals.

DEVICE

Standard TMS

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (10 Hz, 3,000 pulses per session, 110% resting motor threshold) delivered via a figure-8 coil using robotic neuronavigation. The stimulation target is a dorsolateral prefrontal cortex location identified using standardized anatomical landmarks on structural MRI, without individualized connectivity mapping. Delivered over 15 sessions across 3 weeks, without a concurrent cognitive task.

Locations (1)

Rutgers University Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience

Newark, New Jersey, United States