Purpose: In laboratory animals transcranial electrostimulation (TCET) diminishes signs op opiate and cocaine withdrawal. The purpose of this experiment was to determine if TCET diminished nicotine abstinence in heavy smokers trying to quit. Methods: This is a double-blind sham controlled evaluation of TCET in 100 heavy smokers trying to quit. The subjects volunteer for the experiment in response to newspaper, radio and television advertisements. They are randomly and blindly assigned to TCET therapy or sham therapy. For five consecutive days beginning on the day following their last night of smoking, subjects report to the laboratory for 1 hr of treatment. Dependent measures include: subjective effects (Hatsukami withdrawal scale, mood effects, AIM, Tiffany craving questionnaire); physiologic effects (HR, BP, body weight) and compliance measures (urine cotinine, CO, self report of cigarettes smoked). Progress: Seventy-five of the 100 subjects have completed the protocol. Significance: TCET may represent an effective nondrug therapy for the treatment of diverse withdrawal states. Further studies are planned to understand the mechanism of the TCET action and its effectiveness in other withdrawal states.
