A novel stress-based intervention reduces cigarette use in non-treatment seeking smokers

• Published in: Neuropsychopharmacology (New York, N.Y.) N.Y.), 2023-01, Vol.48 (2), p.308-316
• Main Authors: Barnabe, Alexandra, Gamache, Karine, de Camargo, João Vitor Paes, Allen-Flanagan, Erin, Rioux, Mathilde, Pruessner, Jens, Leyton, Marco, Nader, Karim
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Cigarette smoking; Cigarettes; Drug addiction; Humans; Intervention; Non-Smokers; Smokers - psychology; Smoking; Smoking - psychology; Smoking - therapy; Smoking Cessation - methods; Tobacco Products
• ISSN: 0893-133X; 1740-634X
• DOI: 10.1038/s41386-022-01455-6

Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable mortality worldwide. Since current smoking cessation aids show only modest efficacy, new interventions are needed. Given the evidence that stress is a potent trigger for smoking, the present randomized clinical trial tested whether stress could augment the effects of a memory updating (retrieval-extinction) intervention. Non-treatment seeking smokers (n = 76) were assigned to one of four conditions composed of either a stressful or non-stressful psychosocial challenge followed by either smoking or neutral cues. Ten minutes after this manipulation, all underwent a 60-minute extinction procedure during which they viewed smoking-related videos and images and manipulated smoking paraphernalia. Compared to participants who were not exposed to the laboratory stressor, the stressor-exposed groups exhibited greater psychophysiological responses during their intervention and greater decreases in cigarette use at two- and six-weeks follow-up independent of smoking cue exposure. Together, these findings suggest that the ability of stress to activate cigarette seeking processes can be exploited to decrease cigarette use. With replication, the stress-based intervention could become a novel strategy for decreasing cigarette use in non-treatment seeking smokers.Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT04843969.