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NCT07441928Recruiting

Effects of Smoking on Network Connectivity in Patients With Schizophrenia Symptoms in Scz Patients

Using Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) to Assess the Effects of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Smoking Cessation and Reduction of Psychotic Symptoms in Patients With Schizophrenia

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Last updated 2 Mar 2026

Brief summary (registry, in English)

The prevalence of smoking among people with schizophrenia (SCZ) is substantially higher at 54% to 90% (McClave et al., 2010). About half of all deaths amongst people with scz are attributed to smoking-related diseases and cancer involving the lung, the cardiovascular system, and the liver (Kely et al., 2011; WHO, 2019). Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is effective for treating psychotic symptoms and addictive behaviours. In a local randomised controlled trial comparing individual ACT to social support for smoking cessation in adult scz smokers, the self-reported quit rates in ACT group were higher than in the social support group (6 months: 12.3% vs. 7.7%, p=0.56 ; 12 months: 10.8% vs. 7.7%, p=0.76; Mak, Loke, and Leung, 2021). In this study, functional neuroimaging (fMRI) will be combined with symptoms assessment in order to ascertain whether group-based ACT is effective in modifying the brain's responses in general and specifically to tobacco craving cues and resting-state functional connectivity in three time points (pre-, post-intervention, and 6-month follow-up) among people with schizophrenia.

Status (registry)
Recruiting
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
90 (estimated)
First submitted
23 Feb 2026
Start date
1 Mar 2023
Primary completion date
30 Apr 2026
Lead sponsor
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
NCT number
NCT07441928

What you commit to

  • Study type: Interventional
  • Planned participants: 90
  • From 1 Mar 2023 to the primary completion date, 30 Apr 2026
  • 5 sites in 1 country
  • Visits and tests: ask the trial team, the registry does not list them

Built from the registry fields of ClinicalTrials.gov. It describes the study, not your situation.

Who cannot take part

Copied verbatim from ClinicalTrials.gov and grouped by topic. Only the trial team decides who can take part.

Prior treatment

  • Have a lifetime history of substance abuse and/or are currently receiving treatment for substance abuse (e.g., opioids, cocaine, marijuana, or stimulants);
  • Have received a diagnosis of alcohol or drug dependence in the year preceding recruitment;

Other illness

  • Have any other current or past psychotic disorders;
  • with a known history of violence/aggression and a forensic history
  • Have a history or current diagnosis of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD);
  • Have a history of epilepsy or a seizure disorder;
  • Experience disorientation, have developmental disabilities, and/or an organic mental disorder;

Other

  • with fleeting or actual suicidal/self-harm ideations, or acting-out behavior in the past;
  • Categorized with special care or intensive care (e.g., arson, battery, physical assault, rape, murder, etc.)
  • With alcohol consumption exceeding 25 standard drinks/week for men and 20 standard drinks/week for women over the last 6 months;
  • Are pregnant, breast-feeding, or planning a pregnancy for the duration of the study;
  • fMRI-related exclusion criteria promulgated by University Research Facility in Behavioural and Systems Neuroscience (UBSN), PolyU

Who the study is looking for

  • Individuals who have been diagnosed with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder and after at least one-year followup;
  • currently taking anti-psychotic medications for ≥ 3 months with good compliance;
  • aged 18 years or above;
  • able to communicate in Cantonese

Age in the registry: 18 years to - · Sex: All · Does not accept healthy volunteers

Full criteria on ClinicalTrials.gov

Sites (5)

Sites in registry order. Pick your city on the disease page to sort them by distance.

SiteCityCountrySite status
Out-patient Clinic (Psy), Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
Hong KongHong Kong SAR ChinaRecruiting
The Society of Rehabilitation and Crime Prevention
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
Hong KongHong Kong SAR ChinaRecruiting
Lok Hong Integrated Community Centre for Mental Wellness, Tung Wah Group of Hospitals
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
Hong KongHong Kong SAR ChinaRecruiting
The Mental Health Association of Hong Kong
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
Hong KongHong Kong SAR ChinaRecruiting
Mental Health and Development, Christian Family Service Centre
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
Hong KongHong Kong SAR ChinaRecruiting

This page is information, not medical advice. Discuss any trial with your doctor.