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Not yet recruitingNCT07910318Updated Nov 2, 2026

Neurostructural and Biochemical Signatures of Tobacco Smoking in Mood Disorders

An observational study in Major Depressive Disorder, Bipolar Disorder and Tobacco Use Disorder, sponsored by Assiut University. Not yet recruiting. Open to male participants aged 18 Years to 45 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-11-02.

Sponsored by Assiut University · Observational

Updated Nov 2, 2026Newly registeredGo to Updates ↓
Study type
Observational
Model
Case-control
Time perspective
Cross-sectional
Enrollment
240
Ages
18 Years to 45 Years
Sex
Male
01

Study summary

Tobacco smoking is significantly more common among individuals with mood disorders, such as major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder, compared to the general population. Chronic smoking in these conditions is often linked to more severe symptoms, frequent episodes, and reduced overall quality of life. However, the biological mechanisms linking tobacco smoking to brain alterations and clinical outcomes in mood disorders remain incompletely understood.

The primary purpose of this study is to examine whether chronic tobacco cigarette smoking is associated with alterations in brain structure, specifically regional brain volumes including the hippocampus and insula, and circulating biochemical markers of neuronal injury (neurofilament light chain [NfL]) and neurobiological pathways (tryptophan and kynurenic acid).

The study will enroll 240 male participants aged 18 to 45 years across six equal groups:

  1. Major depressive disorder (in remission) who are current smokers
  2. Major depressive disorder (in remission) who are lifetime never-smokers
  3. Bipolar disorder who are current smokers
  4. Bipolar disorder (in remission) who are lifetime never-smokers
  5. Healthy controls who are current smokers
  6. Healthy controls who are lifetime never-smokers

Participants will take part in a single study visit involving:

  • Clinical assessments and psychiatric rating scales evaluating mood symptoms, cognition, personality traits, and smoking history.
  • Routine physical and vital sign measurements.
  • A fasting morning blood draw to evaluate serum biomarkers (NfL, tryptophan, kynurenic acid) and confirm tobacco exposure via serum cotinine.
  • A structural brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan to measure regional brain volumes.
02

Conditions studied

  • Major Depressive Disorder
  • Bipolar Disorder
  • Tobacco Use Disorder
  • Mood Disorders

Keywords

  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Neurofilament Light Chain
  • Kynurenine Pathway
  • Cotinine
  • Tryptophan
  • Hippocampus
  • Insular Cortex
  • Nicotine Dependence
03

In context

Depressive Disorder, Major

3,041 studies on the registry are indexed under Depressive Disorder, Major; 588 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 240 is above the median of 131 across 400 observational studies indexed under Depressive Disorder, Major.

Browse Depressive Disorder, Major studies →

Lead sponsor

Assiut University is the lead sponsor of 5,078 studies on the registry; 2,178 are open to participants now.

Of its 14 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 0 (0%) have results posted.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 45 Years
Sexes eligible
Male
Sampling method
Non-probability sample

Study population

Patients diagnosed with major depressive disorder (in remission) or bipolar disorder recruited consecutively from the inpatient wards and outpatient clinics of the Neuropsychiatry Department at Assiut University Hospitals (Assiut, Egypt). Healthy comparison controls are recruited from hospital staff relatives and community advertisements, frequency-matched to clinical cohorts by age, sex, and years of formal education. All participants are adult males aged 18 to 45 years.

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • Male sex, aged 18 to 45 years.
  • Belongs to one of the target diagnostic categories:

    • Major Depressive Disorder (currently in clinical remission).
    • Bipolar Disorder (in clinical remission/euthymic or manic/hypomanic).
    • Healthy control with no personal history of psychiatric or neurological disorders (frequency-matched on age and education).
  • Smoking exposure status meeting one of the predefined criteria:

    • Current active, chronic tobacco cigarette smoker.
    • Lifetime never-smoker.
  • Capable of providing written and undergoing study assessments.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Pre-existing neurological disorders or psychiatric disorders other than the target mood disorder.
  • Any current substance use disorder other than tobacco (caffeine use is permitted).
  • Intellectual disability (IQ \< 70).
  • Treatment with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) within the preceding 6 months.
  • Standard to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), including cardiac pacemakers, ferromagnetic or metallic orthopedic implants, severe claustrophobia, or inability to remain still during scanning.
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(2)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

Informed consent

Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.

You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.

Contraindication

A reason a treatment, test or procedure should not be given to a particular person, such as an allergy, another illness or a medicine they take.

05

Study design

Observational model
Case-control
Time perspective
Cross-sectional
Enrollment
240 participants (estimated)
Patient registry
No

Groups and cohorts

  • MDD in Remission - Current Smokers

    Male patients aged 18-45 years with a confirmed diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder currently in clinical remission who are active, chronic tobacco cigarette smokers (n = 40).

  • MDD in Remission - Never-Smokers

    Male patients aged 18-45 years with a confirmed diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder currently in clinical remission who have never smoked tobacco (lifetime never-smokers) (n = 40).

  • Bipolar Disorder - Current Smokers

    Male patients aged 18-45 years with a confirmed diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder (euthymic/in remission or manic/hypomanic) who are active, chronic tobacco cigarette smokers (n = 40).

  • Bipolar Disorder in Remission - Never-Smokers

    Male patients aged 18-45 years with a confirmed diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder currently in clinical remission who have never smoked tobacco (lifetime never-smokers) (n = 40).

  • Healthy Controls - Current Smokers

    Healthy male individuals aged 18-45 years with no history of psychiatric or neurological disorders who are active, chronic tobacco cigarette smokers, frequency-matched to patients on age and education (n = 40).

  • Healthy Controls - Never-Smokers

    Healthy male individuals aged 18-45 years with no history of psychiatric or neurological disorders who have never smoked tobacco (lifetime never-smokers), frequency-matched to patients on age and education (n = 40).

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Normalized Hippocampal Volume

    Normalized bilateral hippocampal volume measured in cubic millimeters (mm³) using 1.5 Tesla structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and normalized to estimated total intracranial volume (eTIV). Volumetric segmentation is evaluated to determine differences across diagnostic and smoking status groups.

    Time frame: Baseline

07

Study locations

No study locations are listed for this record.

08

Updates

1 registry update since Sep 25, 2026
Registered
First appeared on the registry. No changes since
Nov 2, 2026
Show all 1 update
  1. Nov 2, 2026
    First appeared on the registry

From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

09

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT07910318
Lead sponsor
Assiut University
Responsible party
Amaal Emad Khairy (Resident, Assiut University) — Principal investigator
First posted
Nov 2, 2026
Start date
Nov 2026 (estimated)
Primary completion
Nov 2027 (estimated)
Completion
Dec 2027 (estimated)
Last update
Nov 2, 2026
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in Oct 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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