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

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.

NCT Number	NCT07441928
Lead Sponsor	The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Collaborators: Christian Family Service Centre, The Mental Health Association of Hong Kong, Tung Wah Group of Hospitals, Kwai Chung Hospital, Castle Peak Hospital, Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital
Conditions	Smoking Cessation, Schizophenia Disorder
Enrollment	90 participants
Start Date	2023-03-01
Primary Completion	2026-04-30 (estimated)
Study Completion	2026-04-30 (estimated)
Updated on ClinicalTrials.gov	2026-03-02