Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for smoking cessation: Next steps for translation and implementation into clinical practice.

Tobacco smoking is a significant determinant of preventable morbidity and mortality worldwide. It is now possible to modulate the activity of the neurocircuitry associated with nicotine dependence using repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS), a non-invasive neurostimulation approach, which has recently demonstrated efficacy in clinical trials and received regulatory approval in the US and Canada. However there remains a paucity of replication studies and real-world patient effectiveness data as access to this intervention is extremely limited.

Does genetic variation in a bitter taste receptor gene alter early smoking behaviours in adolescents and young adults?

Background And Aims: Variation in the TAS2R38 taste receptor gene alters the ability to taste bitter compounds. We tested whether TAS2R38 variation influences early smoking behaviours in adolescence, a critical period of acquisition when taste may influence the natural course of tobacco use.

Design And Participants: Observational study (Nicotine Dependence in Teens [NDIT]).