The Duke Health Behavior Neuroscience Research Program (HBNRP) is conducting a 3.5 month quit smoking study. Participants must be regular smokers between 18 and 55 years of age with no known medical/health issues who actively want to quit smoking. Participants will complete 3 fMRI scans throughout the study to look at brain functioning over the course of the quitting treatment. The study has 12 visits in total (including the scans). After the first fMRI scan, participants will be randomized into 1 of 2 quitting groups — an extinction group that smokes de-nicotinized cigarettes while wearing a 21mg patch for 4 weeks prior to a designated quit date and a nicotine replacement group that smokes their regular brand of cigarettes for 4 weeks prior to the quit date.

All materials, including cigarettes and Nicoderm patches, are provided to the participant. If participants complete the 3.5 month portion of the study, he/she will then be scheduled for a 6-month and a 12-month follow-up visit. $620.00 will be provided as compensation for participation upon completion of the entire 3.5 month study and both follow-up visits.