Behavioral Memory Modulation in Nicotine Addiction

In a recently published NIDA-funded study, the investigators found that lasting reductions in craving and smoking could be achieved with a brief behavioral intervention designed to alter memory processes underlying smoking-related nicotine addiction. The proposed project will replicate and extend these findings by 1) increasing the dose of intervention so as to bolster the observed treatment effects, 2) employing brain imaging methods to identify patterns of brain activity uniquely associated with the intervention and potentially predictive of treatment outcome, 3) extending follow-up period to more completely document the long-term effects of the intervention. Positive findings from this study could lead to the development of brief therapy that will not only improve treatment outcomes for smokers, but also be used in the treatment other substance use disorders and frequently co-occurring comorbidities such as PTSD.