Trial reportDrug and alcohol dependence2015
The effects of N-Acetylcysteine on frontostriatal resting-state functional connectivity, withdrawal symptoms and smoking abstinence: A double-blind, placebo-controlled fMRI pilot study.
Trial report in Drug and alcohol dependence, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 2 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 54 papers, 2 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.
Effectiveness of N-Acetylcysteine in Motivational Enhancement Therapy for Nicotine Addiction: Study on the Dopaminergic Pathways, Changes in Functional Connectivity of fMRI Bold, and Changes in Smoking Abstinence
The Effectiveness of Mindfulness-based Relapse Prevention: A Randomized Controlled Trial Study
Who cites it
54 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 90 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effect of N-acetylcysteine on craving in substance use disorders (SUD): a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2024Pooled it
- Possible New Symptoms of Tobacco Withdrawal III: Reduced Positive Affect-A Review and Meta-analysis.Nicotine & tobacco research : official journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco · 2021Pooled it
- Clavulanic acid is associated with moderation of cigarette use in patients with cocaine use disorder: A post-hoc analysis.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2026Trial
- Efficacy of N-acetylcysteine and motivational enhancement therapy for nicotine addiction: A randomized clinical trial.Narra J · 2025Trial
- The effects of N-acetyl cysteine on intrinsic functional connectivity and neural alcohol cue reactivity in treatment-seeking individuals with alcohol use disorder: a preliminary study.Psychopharmacology · 2025Trial
- Effects of Hyperdirect Pathway Theta Burst Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation on Inhibitory Control, Craving, and Smoking in Adults With Nicotine Dependence: A Double-Blind, Randomized Crossover Trial.Biological psychiatry. Cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging · 2023Trial
- Evaluating N-acetylcysteine for early and end-of-treatment abstinence in adult cigarette smokers.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2021Trial
- Effect of single dose N-acetylcysteine administration on resting state functional connectivity in schizophrenia.Psychopharmacology · 2020Trial
- N-Acetyl-Cysteine Supplementation Improves Functional Connectivity Within the Cingulate Cortex in Early Psychosis: A Pilot Study.The international journal of neuropsychopharmacology · 2019Trial
- Tobacco use during cannabis cessation: Use patterns and impact on abstinence in a National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network study.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2018Trial
- The effect of N-acetylcysteine on alcohol use during a cannabis cessation trial.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2018Trial
- Functional network connectivity predicts treatment outcome during treatment of nicotine use disorder.Psychiatry research. Neuroimaging · 2017Trial
- Alcohol use during a trial of N-acetylcysteine for adolescent marijuana cessation.Addictive behaviors · 2016Trial
- Selective Effects of Acutely Administered N-Acetyl-Cysteine in Rodent Models of Nicotine-Conditioned Behaviours.Addiction biology · 2025Article
- Exploring the potential link between ΔFosB andActa neuropsychiatrica · 2024Review
- Machine Learning of Functional Connectivity to Biotype Alcohol and Nicotine Use Disorders.Biological psychiatry. Cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging · 2024Article
- Clavulanic Acid-Mediated Increases in Anterior Cingulate Glutamate Levels are Associated With Decreased Cocaine Craving and Brain Network Functional Connectivity Changes.Current therapeutic research, clinical and experimental · 2024Article
- Associations Between the Wisconsin Inventory of Smoking Dependence Motives and Regional Brain Volumes in Adult Smokers.Nicotine & tobacco research : official journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco · 2023Article
- N-acetylcysteine for smoking cessation among dual users of tobacco and cannabis: Protocol and rationale for a randomized controlled trial.Contemporary clinical trials · 2023Article
- Augmentation Therapies as Treatments for Coexisting Somatic Problems in Schizophrenia-A Systematic Review.Journal of clinical medicine · 2023Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundChronic exposure to drugs of abuse disrupts frontostriatal glutamate transmission, which in turn meditates drug seeking. In animal models, N-Acetylcysteine normalizes dysregulated frontostriatal glutamatergic neurotransmission and prevents reinstated drug seeking; however, the effects of N-Acetylcysteine on human frontostriatal circuitry function and maintaining smoking abstinence is unknown. Thus, the current study tested the hypothesis that N-Acetylcysteine would be associated with stronger frontostriatal resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC), attenuated nicotine withdrawal and would help smokers to maintain abstinence over the study period.
methodsThe present study examined the effects of N-Acetylcysteine on frontostriatal rsFC, nicotine-withdrawal symptoms and maintaining abstinence. Healthy adult, non-treatment seeking smokers (N=16; mean (SD) age 36.5±11.9; cigs/day 15.8±6.1; years/smoking 15.7±8.9) were randomized to a double-blind course of 2400mg N-Acetylcysteine (1200mg b.i.d.) or placebo over the course of 3½ days of monetary-incentivized smoking abstinence. On each abstinent day, measures of mood and craving were collected and participants attended a lab visit in order to assess smoking (i.e., expired-air carbon monoxide [CO]). On day 4, participants underwent fMRI scanning.
resultsAs compared to placebo (n=8), smokers in the N-Acetylcysteine group (n=8) maintained abstinence, reported less craving and higher positive affect (all p's<.01), and concomitantly exhibited stronger rsFC between ventral striatal nodes, medial prefrontal cortex and precuneus-key default mode network nodes, and the cerebellum [p<.025; FWE]).
conclusionsTaken together, these findings suggest that N-Acetylcysteine may positively affect dysregulated corticostriatal connectivity, help to restructure reward processing, and help to maintain abstinence immediately following a quit attempt.
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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.