Cigarette smoking causes significant morbidity and mortality in the United States. Smoking cessation is difficult, with the average smoker attempting to quit five times before permanent success. Moreover, the majority of smoking quit attempts result in relapse. Brain stimulation for smoke cessation is an exciting new area that builds on advancing neuroscience knowledge concerning the functional neurocircuitry of addiction. Cortical stimulation can now be performed non-invasively by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Several studies have shown that TMS can reduce cue-elicited craving in smokers. Previous research by our group has shown that a single session of 15 minutes high frequency (10 Hz) repetitive TMS (rTMS) at 100% motor threshold over the left dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) can reduce cue-induced craving compared to sham TMS. However, the mechanism by which craving is reduced by rTMS is poorly understood both at behavioral and neural levels. Neuroimaging studies in nicotine dependence have revealed cue-related responses in numerous brain areas, including frontal, parietal cortices and subcortical areas. Recently functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies by our group have shown that cue-induced craving induced brain activation in ventral medial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC), including medial frontal, orbital frontal and anterior cingulate. This Chair Research Development Fund (CRDF) pilot proposal will integrate two new techniques- TMS and fMRI to investigate DLPFC-VMPFC pathway in smokers. Using double-masked methods we hypothesize that cue-induced exposure will induce brain activity in VMPFC, and 15 minutes rTMS over DLPFC will reduce cue-induced craving through modulating DLPFC-VMPFC pathway (increased activity DLPFC and decreased activity VMPFC). In the one year of project, we plan to recruit 10 non-treatment-seeking nicotine-dependent cigarette smokers and 20 non-smoking participants, both males and females of all ethnic and racial groups between the ages of 18 and 60 to participate in the study. The participants will randomly receive two different types of brain stimulation: active rTMS or sham rTMS over the left DLPFC with a 1 week interval between treatments. MRI scans will be completed pre and post rTMS. The data from this pilot will provide the information needed for submitting a larger-scale investigation (R01) to investigate cue craving neutral pathway and develop a potential clinical applications of TMS in smoke cessation.

The purpose of this study is to better understand tobacco outcomes using a well-known stop smoking medication called varenicline, counseling and financial incentives among those who use tobacco and cannabis/marijuana. All participants will receive tobacco cessation treatment for 12 weeks. To qualify, participants must be between the ages of 18-40 and use both tobacco and cannabis/marijuana. You do not need to be interested in quitting cannabis/marijuana to qualify. This study is being conducted at three sites: the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, SC, Behavioral Health Services in Pickens, SC, and the Medical University of South Carolina in Florence, SC.

The purpose of this study is to better understand tobacco outcomes using a well-known stop smoking medication called varenicline, counseling and financial incentives among those who use tobacco and cannabis/marijuana. All participants will receive tobacco cessation treatment for 12 weeks. To qualify, participants must be between the ages of 18-40 and use both tobacco and cannabis/marijuana. You do not need to be interested in quitting cannabis/marijuana to qualify. This study is being conducted at three sites: the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, SC, Behavioral Health Services in Pickens, SC, and the Medical University of South Carolina in Florence, SC.

This is a research study to find out if smoking cessation medications, either varenicline or nicotine replacement products (patches or lozenges), are effective when given to smokers, remotely, as a one-time sample.

Participants will either receive a sample of varenicline, nicotine patches and lozenges, or neither. This will be decided randomly. Participants have a 50%chance of receiving varenicline, a 25% chance of receiving nicotine products, and a 25% chance of receiving neither. If the participant is assigned to a group that receives free samples, they will be mailed to them free of charge. There is no requirement to use them, and it is completely up to the participants. There is also no requirement to quit in this study.

The study lasts for six months, and will involve six total surveys. In addition, we ask that participants complete daily diaries (about 1 minute each) for the first 4 weeks of the study. Both varenicline and nicotine replacement products are well-established medications that help smokers quit.

This is a smoking cessation treatment study. Patients who have a cancer or a suspected cancer who will undergo surgical removal of their cancer are eligible to participate in this study. A novel smoking cessation treatment will be provided to half of the participants in the study. All study participants will receive standard smoking cessation therapy including counseling and the nicotine patch.

Cigarette smoking is a significant public health concern. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a non-invasive form of brain stimulation that has already displayed remarkable potential for producing novel, non-pharmacological interventions for depression and cigarette smokers. In this study, we will use brain MRI to guide TMS therapy for smoking cessation.

The goal of this project is to better understand the relationship between tobacco/nicotine and cannabis using behavioral economics during a tobacco/nicotine quit attempt. All participants will receive tobacco/nicotine cessation treatment (smoking and/or vaping treatment) for 12 weeks. To qualify, participants must be between the ages of 18-25 and use tobacco products (smoke cigarettes and/or vape nicotine) and use cannabis (in any form). Participants do not need to be interested in quitting cannabis/marijuana to qualify. This study is being conducted by the Medical University of South Carolina. All procedures are conducted remotely and there is no in-person visits are needed.

This study aims to learn more about the experiences of people with cancer who smoke who are ages 18 or older. We want to learn more about what has helped or made it difficult to quit smoking, and what patients think about using videos to help quit smoking. Interviews and surveys will be used to help us learn more about the unique needs of cancer patients who smoke, and will guide the development of interventions to help with smoking cessation.

Smoking is one of the main public health problems. Smoking cessation is difficult because of nicotine dependence. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over the frontal head has shown to be effective in the reduction of cigarette consumption and craving. In this study, we will evaluate the efficiency of a new form of rTMS called intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS) for smoking cessation.