Trial reportPsychopharmacology2011
Varenicline effects on craving, cue reactivity, and smoking reward.
Trial report in Psychopharmacology, 2011. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 65 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
65 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 94 citations in OpenAlex.
- Nicotine receptor partial agonists for smoking cessation.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2023Pooled it
- Effects of varenicline and bupropion on laboratory smoking outcomes: Meta-analysis of randomized, placebo-controlled human laboratory studies.Addiction biology · 2022Pooled it
- Differences in Magnitude of Cue Reactivity Across Durations of Smoking History: A Meta-analysis.Nicotine & tobacco research : official journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco · 2020Pooled it
- Nicotine receptor partial agonists for smoking cessation.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2016Pooled it
- Risk of neuropsychiatric adverse events associated with varenicline: systematic review and meta-analysis.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2015Pooled it
- Opioid antagonists for smoking cessation.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2013Pooled it
- Sex-Specific Mediation of Pre-Quit Smoking Reduction: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial Extending Varenicline Preloading.Nicotine & tobacco research : official journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco · 2025Trial
- Evaluating mediators of the effect of varenicline preloading on smoking abstinence in a randomized controlled trial.Addiction (Abingdon, England) · 2025Trial
- Augmented reality for extinction of cue-provoked urges to smoke: Proof of concept.Psychology of addictive behaviors : journal of the Society of Psychologists in Addictive Behaviors · 2022Trial
- Effect of Extending the Duration of Prequit Treatment With Varenicline on Smoking Abstinence: A Randomized Clinical Trial.JAMA network open · 2022Trial
- Trial
- Topiramate decreases the salience of motivationally relevant visual cues among smokers with alcohol use disorder.Alcoholism, clinical and experimental research · 2022Trial
- Varenicline as a treatment for cannabis use disorder: A placebo-controlled pilot trial.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2021Trial
- Comparative effects of varenicline or combination nicotine replacement therapy versus patch monotherapy on candidate mediators of early abstinence in a smoking cessation attempt.Addiction (Abingdon, England) · 2021Trial
- The impact of three weeks of pre-quit varenicline on reinforcing value and craving for cigarettes in a laboratory choice procedure.Psychopharmacology · 2021Trial
- Effect of nicotine lozenge use prior to smoking cue presentation on craving and withdrawal symptom severity.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2020Trial
- Pleasant olfactory cues can reduce cigarette craving.Journal of abnormal psychology · 2019Trial
- A placebo-controlled randomized trial of D-cycloserine augmentation of cue exposure therapy for smoking cessation.Cognitive behaviour therapy · 2019Trial
- Nicotine deprivation increases pain intensity, neurogenic inflammation, and mechanical hyperalgesia among daily tobacco smokers.Journal of abnormal psychology · 2018Trial
- Ultra-Brief Mindfulness Training Reduces Alcohol Consumption in At-Risk Drinkers: A Randomized Double-Blind Active-Controlled Experiment.The international journal of neuropsychopharmacology · 2017Trial
5 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
rationaleVarenicline is an α4β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor partial agonist that has been found to be effective for treating tobacco dependence. However, the subjective and behavioral mediators of its efficacy are not known.
objectivesUsing multiple sessions of laboratory-based assessment, this double-blind, placebo-controlled experiment was designed to test if varenicline reduced both tonic and cue-provoked tobacco cravings, and if it attenuated perceived reward from smoking.
methodsParticipants in the present analysis include 100 smokers who were scheduled for three assessment sessions: at baseline, before receiving medication; at mid-run-in, 5-7 days after beginning medication; and after full dosage was reached, 12-15 days. Following overnight abstinence, each session included assessment of tonic craving, reactivity (including craving) to smoking cues, expected value of a cigarette, smoking behavior, and self-reported reward following smoking.
resultsVarenicline, compared to placebo, reduced tonic craving, cue-provoked craving by the final assessment, the expected value of cigarettes, number of puffs and time spent smoking, and self-reported reward (i.e., satisfaction) from smoking.
conclusionsResults showing that varenicline reduced tonic craving levels and perceived reward from smoking are consistent with reports from clinical trials, strengthening the evidence in support of these subjective mechanisms of action. This is the first placebo-controlled study to demonstrate that varenicline reduced cue-provoked cravings, thereby offering another potential mediator of its therapeutic effects. Findings may aid in the development of more targeted interventions for tobacco dependence.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.