Description Module
The Description Module contains narrative descriptions of the clinical trial, including a brief summary and detailed description. These descriptions provide important information about the study's purpose, methodology, and key details in language accessible to both researchers and the general public.
Description Module path is as follows:
Study -> Protocol Section -> Description Module
Description Module
Ignite Creation Date:
2025-12-25 @ 2:37 AM
Ignite Modification Date:
2025-12-25 @ 2:37 AM
NCT ID:
NCT04396834
Brief Summary:
Identifying new medication options is critical for curbing the health burdens of cigarette smoking. Currently approved smoking cessation medications act on nicotinic receptors, and additional work is needed to identify medications with alternate pharmacological targets. Based on evidence that the serotonin system plays a role in nicotine consumption and relapse, this study will examine whether a selective serotonin medication alters smoking-related behaviors and responses to cigarette smoking under controlled conditions, informing its potential utility for smoking cessation.
Detailed Description:
Tobacco use remains the foremost cause of preventable deaths in the U.S. and worldwide. Advancing new smoking cessation therapies, including those with novel pharmacological targets, is a critical public health priority. The serotonin (5-hydroxtytryptamine; 5-HT) system is broadly implicated in the regulation of reward- related behavior, including drug seeking, in part reflecting its modulatory role in dopamine (DA) function. Recent studies show that targeted manipulation of the serotonin 5-HT2C receptor alters drug-related behavior; in particular, 5-HT2C receptor agonists are shown to reduce nicotine intake and reinstatement. Of the selective 5-HT2C receptor agonists, lorcaserin has the best near-term potential for repurposing as a smoking cessation therapy, having been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for weight management.
Preclinical findings implicate several potential behavioral mechanisms by which 5-HT2C receptor agonists might reduce drug intake, including drug-specific processes (e.g., incentive salience of drug cues, self-administration, reinstatement) and drug-nonspecific behaviors (e.g., reductions in impulsivity). To date, potential mechanisms of 5-HT2C receptor agonists have not been characterized in human studies. Given emerging interest in lorcaserin as a novel smoking cessation therapy, further studies are needed to evaluate its efficacy profile, including studies to evaluate candidate treatment mechanisms. This human laboratory investigation will examine the effects of lorcaserin vs. placebo on relapse-related outcomes using a double-blind, within-subjects, crossover design. Impulsivity subdomains will also be examined as candidate mechanisms for medication effects. By evaluating an approved 5-HT2C agonist with emergent efficacy for smoking cessation, this project has near-term potential to inform clinical applications of 5-HT2C agonists for addiction.
Study:
NCT04396834
Study Brief:
Protocol Section:
NCT04396834