Enhancing panic and smoking reduction treatment with D-Cycloserine: A pilot randomized clinical trial

A transdiagnostic meta-analysis of acute augmentations to psychological therapy

At least half of all patients with mental health disorders do not respond adequately to psychological therapy. Acutely enhancing particular biological or psychological processes during psychological therapy may improve treatment outcomes. However, previous studies are confined to specific augmentation approaches, typically assessed within single diagnostic categories. Our objective was to assess to what degree acute augmentations of psychological therapy reduce psychiatric symptoms and estimate effect sizes of augmentation types (for example, brain stimulation or psychedelics). We searched Medline, PsycINFO and Embase for controlled studies published between database inception and 25 May 2022. We conducted a preregistered random-effects meta-analysis (PROSPERO CRD42021236403). We identified 108 studies (N = 5,889). Acute augmentation significantly reduced the severity of mental health problems (Hedges' g = -0.27, 95% CI: [-0.36, -0.18]; P < 0.0001), particularly for the transdiagnostic dimensions 'Fear' and 'Distress'. This result survived a trim-and-fill analysis to account for publication bias. Subgroup analyses revealed that pharmacological, psychological and somatic augmentations were effective, but to varying degrees. Acute augmentation approaches are a promising route to improve outcomes from psychological therapy.

Community-based smoking cessation treatment for adults with high anxiety sensitivity: a randomized clinical trial

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

People with anxiety disorders are more likely to smoke and less likely to succeed when they try to quit. Anxiety sensitivity may underlie both phenomena, such that people with high anxiety sensitivity react to interoceptive distress by avoidance. This study aimed to test the efficacy of an exercise program that induced interoceptive distress and thereby created tolerance to this distress in a safe environment.

DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

Randomized clinical trial at four YMCA branches in Austin, Texas, USA. Participants [n = 150; 130 (86.7%) white; 101 (67.3%) female; mean_age  = 38.6, standard deviation (SD)_age  = 10.4] were adult, daily smokers with high anxiety sensitivity motivated to quit smoking, who reported no regular moderate-intensity exercise.

INTERVENTIONS

Participants were assigned a YMCA personal trainer who guided them through a 15-week intervention aerobic exercise program. Participants assigned to the personalized intervention trained at 60-85% of their heart rate reserve (HRR), whereas participants assigned to the control intervention trained at 20-40% of their HRR. Participants in both groups received standard behavioral support and nicotine replacement therapy.

MEASUREMENTS

The primary outcome was biologically verified 7-day point prevalence abstinence (PPA) at 6-month follow-up.

FINDINGS

Sixty-one per cent of participants were available at the 6-month follow-up. PPA at 6 months was higher in the personalized intervention than the control intervention [27.6 versus 14.8%; odds ratio (OR) = 2.20, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.28, 3.80, P = 0.005], assuming missing at random. Anxiety sensitivity declined in both groups with no evidence that this differed between groups.

CONCLUSIONS

An exercise program of high intensity increased abstinence from smoking in people with high anxiety sensitivity, but may not have done so by reducing anxiety sensitivity.

Evaluation of an integrated treatment to address smoking cessation and anxiety/depressive symptoms among people living with HIV: Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Interventions that target anxiety/depressive symptoms in the context of smoking treatment have shown promise irrespective of psychiatric diagnosis. Yet, these tailored treatments are largely absent for persons who smoke and are living with HIV (SLWH).

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate a novel, smoking cessation intervention that addresses anxiety/depression and HIV-related health (QUIT) against a time-matched control (TMC) and a standard of care (SOC) condition.

METHODS

SLWH (N = 180) will be recruited and enrolled from 3 medical clinics in Boston, MA, and Houston, TX. The trial will consist of a baseline assessment, a 10-week intervention/assessment period, and follow-up assessments, accounting for a total study duration of approximately 8 months. All participants will complete a baseline visit and a pre-randomization standardized psychoeducation visit, and will then be randomized to one of three conditions: QUIT, TMC, or SOC. QUIT and TMC will consist of nine 60-min, cognitive behavioral therapy-based, individual weekly counseling sessions using standard smoking cessation counseling; additionally, QUIT will target anxiety and depressive symptoms by addressing underlying mechanisms related to mood and quit difficulty. SOC participants will complete weekly self-report surveys for nine weeks. All participants will be encouraged to quit at Session 7 and will be offered nicotine replacement therapy to help.

CONCLUSIONS

QUIT is designed to improve smoking cessation in SLWH by addressing anxiety and depression and HIV-related health issues. If successful, the QUIT intervention would be ready for implementation and dissemination into "real-world" behavioral health and social service settings consistent with the four objectives outlined in NIDA's Strategic Plan.

Network analysis reveals the associations of past quit experiences on current smoking behavior and motivation to quit

INTRODUCTION

Smoking is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States. While most smokers endorse a desire to quit, achieving abstinence is notoriously difficult. Network analysis is a method for understanding the complex relationships of factors that maintain smoking behavior and impact motivation to quit.

METHODS

This study examined self-report prescreen data from treatment-seeking smokers (N = 3913). The number of prior quit attempts and withdrawal symptoms experienced, as well as current smoking behavior and motivation to quit were modeled as interconnected nodes in a network. Two key network metrics were examined: 1) edge weights, which quantify the strength and direction of the associations of interest, and 2) the sum of each node's edge weights, which quantifies the expected influence of a node on the overall network.

RESULTS

The withdrawal symptom of craving, r = 0.10, 95% CI [0.07, 0.13] and digestive problems, r = -0.06, 95% CI [-0.09, -0.03], had the strongest positive and negative association with daily cigarettes, respectively. The number of prior quit attempts, r = 0.17, 95% CI [0.14, 0.20], concentration problems, r = -0.04, 95% CI [-0.027, -0.01], showed the strongest positive and negative associations, respectively, with current motivation to quit. Nodes with significant links to current smoking and motivation to quit were also among the most influential in the overall network.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings suggest prior quit experiences and consequences associated with withdrawal symptoms may differentially relate to maintenance of smoking behavior and motivation to quit in treatment-seeking smokers. Interventions targeting key withdrawal symptoms may enhance motivation to quit.

Isradipine enhancement of virtual reality cue exposure for smoking cessation: Rationale and study protocol for a double-blind randomized controlled trial

Cigarette smoking remains a leading cause of preventable death in the United States, contributing to over 480,000 deaths each year. Although significant strides have been made in the development of effective smoking cessation treatments, most established interventions are associated with high relapse rates. One avenue for increasing the effectiveness of smoking cessation interventions is to design focused, efficient, and rigorous experiments testing engagement of well-defined mechanistic targets. Toward this aim, the current protocol will apply a pharmacologic augmentation strategy informed by basic research in animal models of addiction. Our goal is to evaluate the enhancing effect of isradipine, an FDA-approved calcium channel blocker, on the extinction of craving-a key mechanism of drug relapse after periods of abstinence. To activate craving robustly in human participants, we will use multimodal smoking cues including novel 360° video environments developed for this project and delivered through consumer virtual reality headsets. Adult smokers will take either isradipine or placebo and complete the cue exposure protocol in a double-blind randomized control trial. In order to test the hypothesis that isradipine will enhance retention of craving extinction, participants will repeat cue exposure 24 h later without the administration of isradipine or placebo. The study will be implemented in a primary care setting where adult smokers receive healthcare, and smoking behavior will be tracked throughout the trial with ecological momentary assessment.