Brain Circuitry-Guided rTMS Treatment for Smoking Cessation in Adults with Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are studying patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorder SSD who smoke to compare two types of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation rTMS treatments using different coils, the F8 coil and the H coil, for helping with smoking cessation. The study aims to explore how these treatments affect smoking habits and brain function, especially focusing on brain circuits linked to both schizophrenia and nicotine addiction. This research may improve smoking cessation approaches for people with SSD by targeting these overlapping brain circuits. Participants will receive multiple sessions of active rTMS using either the F8 coil or the FDA-cleared H coil, which is currently approved for short-term smoking cessation in the general population but not yet tested in SSD patients. These treatments involve repeated magnetic stimulation sessions over several days aiming to modulate brain activity associated with smoking and schizophrenia. Two groups will be compared, one receiving F8-coil rTMS and the other H-coil rTMS. Throughout the study, participants will be evaluated at baseline, during treatment, and at follow-up stages using brain imaging functional MRI to assess resting-state functional connectivity changes. Researchers will also measure cigarettes smoked per day, nicotine dependence levels, nicotine and creatinine in the body, and carbon monoxide in breath to monitor smoking behavior and biological effects. The study includes safety monitoring and data collection lasting at least one month after treatment begins.

Circuitry-Guided Smoking Cessation in Schizophrenia (UH3)