Smoking Abstinence and Lapse Effects in Smokers With Schizophrenia and Controls

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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This project tests two hypotheses concerning the low smoking cessation rates in smokers with schizophrenia. The first hypothesis is that smokers with schizophrenia experience stronger and more sustained effects of smoking abstinence on negative mood and smoking urge than control smokers without psychiatric illness. The second hypothesis is that smokers with schizophrenia experience stronger reinforcing effects of a smoking lapse (i.e., more rewarding effects of smoking after a period of abstinence) than control smokers without psychiatric illness.

Detailed Description
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In this study, smokers with schizophrenia and smokers without psychiatric illness participate in a nicotine preference task before and after a 3-day period of continuous smoking abstinence. The investigators will experimentally control abstinence by providing participants with high-value cash incentives contingent upon smoking abstinence verified with breath carbon monoxide levels. The investigators will measure nicotine withdrawal and smoking urge during the abstinence period. In the nicotine preference task, participants will make choices between nicotine-containing and denicotinized cigarette puffs to provide a measure of nicotine reinforcement, and the investigators will also measure the effects of smoking on mood. After the second nicotine preference task, participants will receive a small-value reinforcer if they continue to abstain for another day, and the investigators will measure time to the second lapse.

Official Title
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Smoking Abstinence and Lapse Effects in Smokers With Schizophrenia and Controls

Conditions
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Tobacco Use Disorder, Schizophrenia

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: smoking abstinence


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: cigarette smokers, 20-50 cigarettes per day schizophrenia or no psychiatric illness age 18 or older male or female Exclusion Criteria: unstable symptoms or medication not interested in quitting smoking within 6 months

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Basic Science
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Double


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: schizophrenia<br>Smokers with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder | Behavioral: smoking abstinence<br>* 3 days of biologically-confirmed smoking abstinence<br>|
| Other: non-psychiatric<br>smokers without psychiatric illness | Behavioral: smoking abstinence<br>* 3 days of biologically-confirmed smoking abstinence<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Withdrawal symptoms | negative mood related to nicotine withdrawal | 3 days | 
| urge to smoke | craving for smoking | 3 days | 
| nicotine preference | choice for nicotine puffs versus denicotinized cigarette puffs | before and after 3 days of abstinence | 
| positive and negative mood | positive and negative mood scale | before and after 3 days of abstinence | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| time to lapse | time between smoking behavior in the laboratory and first cigarette outside of the laboratory | 192 hours | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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nicotine, reinforcement, craving, relapse