Accelerated dTMS Smoking Cessation
Accelerated Deep Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for Smoking Cessation
Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care
40 participants
Feb 24, 2026
INTERVENTIONAL
Conditions
Summary
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.
Eligibility
Inclusion Criteria7
- 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.
Exclusion Criteria10
- 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.
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Interventions
Accelerated Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (aTMS) is a type of treatment that will be used to target the bilateral insular cortex and prefrontal cortex using the Health Canada-approved H4 coil. The purpose is to test its feasibility on smoking abstinence. While convention rTMS methods involves one session daily over several weeks, aTMS delivers multiple sessions per day. Using the H4 deep aTMS, this study will implement 20 sessions over five consecutive days (four sessions daily).
Locations(2)
View Full Details on ClinicalTrials.gov
For the most up-to-date information, visit the official listing.
NCT07292883