The Effect of Varenicline on Mood and Cognition in Smokers with HIV

RATIONALE: Barriers to smoking cessation, including negative affect and cognitive dysfunction, may contribute to high smoking rates among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWH). Varenicline may help PLWH quit smoking by improving mood and cognition, yet this has not been explored. OBJECTIVES: The goal of this study was to evaluate the effect of varenicline on mood and cognition among PLWH enrolled in a smoking cessation clinical trial. METHODS: In this secondary analysis of a varenicline trial (NCT01710137), we assessed mood (depression, anxiety) and cognition (attention, working memory) at Weeks 0 (baseline), 1, 3 and 12 (end-of-treatment, EOT). Primary outcomes were changes in mood and cognition from baseline to EOT. Secondarily, mood and cognition were evaluated as predictors of biochemically-confirmed 7-day point-prevalence abstinence at EOT. RESULTS: Overall, 173 subjects (87 varenicline, 86 placebo) were included. At EOT, varenicline reduced anxiety (P