The proposed project will include enrollment of 200 daily tobacco cigarette users, ages 22+, from the San Diego community. Participants will be assessed on the VR Nicotine Cue Exposure paradigm then randomized (stratified on age and sex) to receive varenicline (target dose 1mg twice daily) or placebo (n per group=100; total N=200). Following eight days of titration, participants will be assessed again on the VR Nicotine Cue Exposure paradigm. They will then be followed via mobile assessments for eight days on target dose of varenicline, and 30-days post assessment by phone, to assess short-term nicotine use behaviors.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
QUADRUPLE
Enrollment
200
varenicline (target dose 1mg twice daily)
matched placebo
University California, San Diego
San Diego, California, United States
RECRUITINGChange in Virtual Reality Attentional Bias (VR-AB) pre- and post-treatment
Eye gaze fixation time to active versus neutral cues from the \"NTP Cue VR Paradigm\"
Time frame: during each in-person session, at baseline and on average 8 days post baseline assessment
Nicotine craving
Assessed via the Tobacco Craving Questionnaire - Short-Form
Time frame: during each in-person session, at baseline and on average 8 days post baseline assessment
Nicotine craving
Assessed via visual analogue scales (VR paradigm and mobile surveys)
Time frame: through study completion, an average of 30 days
Nicotine use episodes
Assessed via the Timeline Followback
Time frame: during each in-person session, at baseline and on average 8 days post baseline assessment
Nicotine use episodes
Assessed via participant fill-in on mobile surveys
Time frame: through study completion, an average of 30 days
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