Noninvasive Neuromodulation for Addiction (2024-2025)
The project team investigated whether repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) can improve smoking cessation outcomes for veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Tobacco use disorder remains a leading cause of preventable death in the United States, with particularly high rates among veterans. The team built on prior work by conducting a randomized control trial that combines rTMS with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT). In addition to the clinical trial, the team advanced an AI-based initiative to improve WikiStim, an open-access repository for neuromodulation research, by automating the extraction of key study data.
The team successfully recruited more than 2,000 candidates, screening 293 and enrolling 78 participants, with 20 randomized to treatment. Among these, 19 completed the full rTMS protocol and all quit-date visits, while 18 completed CBT and 11 reached the three-month follow-up stage. Retention rates for the multimodal intervention exceeded 90%, demonstrating both feasibility and acceptability. Early outcomes suggest that rTMS may strengthen smoking cessation efforts, with long-term measures expected to show improvements in nicotine abstinence, PTSD symptom severity and craving reduction.
On the WikiStim project, the team piloted its AI infrastructure on 15 studies, achieving near human-level accuracy in metadata extraction. This innovation is now being scaled to more than 100 studies, positioning WikiStim to become a more powerful tool for researchers and clinicians. Together, the dual efforts of advancing rTMS clinical research and developing AI infrastructure for neuromodulation data curation contribute to more effective treatment strategies for veterans and broader progress in brain stimulation research.
Timing
Fall 2024 – Spring 2025
Team Outputs
TMS-STOP: A Multimodal Smoking Cessation Treatment for Veterans with PTSD (Poster presentation at the Fortin Foundation Bass Connections Showcase, April 16, 2025)
See earlier related team, Noninvasive Neuromodulation for Addiction (2023-2024).