Studying Nicotine Addiction With Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

Objective: To investigate the neurocircuitry cognitive and affective processing relevant to nicotine addiction using repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS). Specifically, we will examine insula neurocircuitry using a unilateral H-coil to deliver rTMS to the Right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (R DLPFC) and insula. We will examine the effect of various stimulation parameters on behavior as well as on task based activation and resting state functional connectivity (rsFC) during fMRI scanning. Study population: Up to 60 healthy adults who are non-smokers will be enrolled to achieve 28 completers. Design: Within subject design with each subject completing 4 sessions: rTMS at two different stimulation frequencies and 2 sham sessions. Outcome measures: Behavior on a decision making task and task based and resting state blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) activation in neural circuits relevant to nicotine addiction during fMRI scanning.