Accelerated dTMS Smoking Cessation

What this study is about

The goal of this clinical trial is to examine whether a 5-day course of bilateral accelerated deep transcranial magnetic stimulation (aTMS) is a feasible treatment to help adults (18-65) with Tobacco Use Disorder to quit smoking. This study aims to enroll 30-40 participants and will examine treatment tolerability, treatment acceptability, participant retention, and adherence to scheduled treatment sessions. There are two key objectives and hypotheses: Objective 1: To evaluate whether a 1-week course of bilateral aTMS (4 sessions per day for 5 days) is feasible and tolerable as a smoking cessation treatment. Hypothesis 1: Feasibility will be demonstrated by acceptable tolerability, acceptability, retention, and adherence, with a practical target of 30 out of 40 participants completing the treatment. Objective 2: To explore how aTMS affects smoking outcomes, including: * Point-prevalence abstinence at end of treatment and at Weeks 3, 5, and 9. * Prolonged/continuous abstinence at Weeks 13 and 26. * Craving, cigarettes per day, and dependence severity. Hypothesis 2: Participants will show improvements on these outcomes from post-treatment through follow-up.

Who can join (things the study team will check)

✅ You may be able to join if…

• Aged 18 years or older;
• Tobacco use disorder as assessed by DSM-5;
• Fagerstrom Test of Nicotine Dependence (FTND) ≥ 4;
• Reported motivation to quit within 30 days as assessed using the Contemplation Ladder score of ≥ 7;
• Must sign and date the informed consent form;
• Stated willingness to comply with all study procedures.
• Able to communicate in English.

🚫 You may not be able to join if…

• Reported smoking abstinence in the 3 months preceding screening visit;
• Current use of other smoking cessation aids;
• Contraindication to rTMS;
• Pregnancy, trying to become pregnant or breastfeeding;
• Current or recent history of cerebrovascular disease;
• Unstable major psychiatric disorder(s) (i.e. Axis I Disorders) that would prevent participation in the study at PI (or its delegate) discretion;
• Serious current or personal history of medical condition/disease (neurological disorders, brain lesions, multiple sclerosis, head trauma, loss of consciousness, hearing loss, etc.) preventing same inclusion as per PI (or its delegate) discretion;
• Current, personal history or family history of seizures;
• Concomitant use of medication that lowers seizure threshold, such as clozapine;
• Concomitant use of more than 2 mg lorazepam (or an equivalent) or any anticonvulsants.

Where this trial is running

• Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care, Penetanguishene, Ontario, Canada
• Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Who to contact

Florence Tang, MA · 705-549-3181 · ftang@waypointcentre.ca

It's completely normal to call and ask questions before deciding anything. Mention the study ID: NCT07292883.