[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/6461\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003ELivestream of brain could help smokers quit\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt\u2019s one of the options being explored by researchers who are looking into the most successful ways to quit.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENeurofeedback is a brain-training technique that uses electrodes placed on a person\u2019s head to create a live feed of their brainwaves. This information is displayed in front of the person who can then visibly reshape their thoughts.\u003Cdiv class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-bg-bluelightest tw-p-12 tw-my-12 tw--mx-16\u0022\u003E\n \u003Ch3 class=\u0022tw-font-sans tw-font-bold tw-text-blue tw-uppercase tw-text-lg tw-mb-8\u0022\u003EThe Issue\u003C\/h3\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-inline-block tw-w-1\/6 tw-h-1 tw-bg-blue tw-mb-8\u0022\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESmoking causes an estimated \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/europa.eu\/rapid\/press-release_MEMO-11-349_en.htm\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003E650 000 EU citizens to die prematurely each year\u003C\/a\u003E, but it is also the largest cause of preventable morbidity worldwide.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn 2009 the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/eur-lex.europa.eu\/legal-content\/EN\/TXT\/PDF\/?uri=CELEX:32009H1205(01)\u0026amp;from=EN\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ECouncil of the European Union\u003C\/a\u003E called upon all Member States to protect their citizens from tobacco smoke by enhancing smoke-free laws such as encouraging efforts to quit and putting warnings on tobacco packages.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA European Commission \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/health\/tobacco\/smoke-free_environments\/index_en.htm\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Efollow-up report\u003C\/a\u003E in 2013 found 17 EU countries have comprehensive smoke-free laws in place.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018It allows them to control what they see,\u2019 said Professor Panagiotis D. Bamidis from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece, who is testing the effectiveness of the technique to help smokers give up.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Subjects are asked if they can do specific tasks and their reactions provide a feedback loop that lets them train their own brain.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe ability of neurofeedback to identify negative thought processes has been used to treat mental illness and memory problems, but this is the first research looking into whether it is an effective technique for breaking an addiction.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018With neurofeedback we can see what type of brain signals smokers are emitting when they are relaxed, then we ask them to follow specific tasks and record their reactions,\u2019 said Prof. Bamidis.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhen the subject encounters something that may trigger an urge to smoke, they will learn what the cause was and what thoughts could help them overcome the craving.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EProf. Bamidis says that smokers would need around twenty hours of treatment before feeling the effects from neurofeedback, but considering it\u2019s a natural, drug-free treatment it could lead to high numbers of smokers willing to give it a try.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018It\u2019s a non-invasive, pain-free technique with no side effects so it has a lot of promise to change (smokers\u2019) behaviour,\u2019 he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENeurofeedback is just one of the quitting techniques being studied by Prof. Bamidis as part of the EU-funded SmokeFreeBrain project, to evaluate the best ways to stop smoking.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnother technique under examination is SoLoMo, which stands for social-local-mobile and focuses on using physical locations to send tailored information to a mobile device.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018We are going to use social media techniques translated for local populations and ask them to follow healthy lifestyles with reminders and mini-games,\u2019 said Prof. Bamidis.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESmokeFreeBrain will also assess the effectiveness of e-cigarettes, communication campaigns and more classic approaches like nicotine patches. At the end of the project in 2018, the researchers hope to have a guide outlining the best practices in smoking cessation and how these can be applied on a large scale.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018We will figure out which approach is the most effective and economic,\u2019 said Prof. Bamidis. \u2018Our research will then help form tobacco policy at national and international levels.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhile these techniques and policies will help, any smoker knows that quitting is easier said than done. That leaves us with the bigger \u003Cspan\u003Equestion \u2013 how\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003Edo we motivate people to stop people smoking in the first place?\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOver the last fifty years the number of smokers in Europe has been declining, but more than 20 % of the adult population still smoke.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Policies to ban smoking in public places and general social norms have changed and we see smoking rates have declined, but it has been quite slow,\u2019 said Professor Anton Kunst from the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. \u2018If it continues at this speed, smoking will persist for many decades to come.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAbility to quit\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn recent years smoking has become concentrated in lower socio-economic areas where the ability to quit is harder due to financial and employment circumstances and the subsequent emotional stress. This in turn creates a spiral where following generations are regularly exposed to those who smoke.\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003E\u2018It could show measurements of smokers\u2019 brains.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EProf. Panagiotis D. Bamidis, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Among people in lower socio-economic circles, smoking is much more common and that could be related to factors like more emotional problems and being exposed to smoking amongst friends and parents,\u2019 said Prof. Kunst.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EProf. Kunst is the coordinator of the EU-funded SILNE-R project which is examining how anti-smoking policies in seven European cities affect the smoking behaviour of 16-year-olds. Through comparison, the project aims to use the data gathered to create better prevention programs.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Different countries and municipalities have different tobacco policies,\u2019 said Prof. Kunst. \u2018We want to understand why some policies are able to influence young people and why others are not.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThey have already looked at smoke-free policies in schools, which have revealed findings into youth smoking behaviour.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018If you ban smoking from school premises it changes the way young people look at smoking and raises awareness of the health hazards,\u2019 said Prof. Kunst.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut while these anti-smoking rules can protect some it could make matters worse for others.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Such policies may create peer groups that go out of school to smoke which reinforces the habit and attracts others to start smoking who just wanted to be part of the group,\u2019 said Prof. Kunst.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPossible solutions are to ban smoking in places around schools or to discourage kids from leaving by offering more appealing activities like sports or hobby clubs.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAt the end of the project in 2018, SILNE-R hopes to present policy makers with concrete suggestions on how to make anti-smoking policies more effective for young people. In the meantime, Prof. Kunst warns any young smoker not to overestimate their willpower.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Young people don\u2019t see how addictive smoking can be and are very confident they will stop later in life,\u2019 said Prof. Kunst. \u2018They must be told that there is no silver bullet to quit, that they would need to try hard to stop and find help where they can.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/textarea\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \u003Cdiv id=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 class=\u0022ecl-help-block description\u0022\u003E\n Please copy the above code and embed it onto your website to republish.\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cinput autocomplete=\u0022off\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022form-ql604rendxfwoo13ggcdrwh3in66-etcr1tp1m0ya0i\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_build_id\u0022 value=\u0022form-QL604rEnDXfwoo13ggcdRWh3IN66-etcr1Tp1M0yA0I\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003Cinput data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_id\u0022 value=\u0022modal_form_example_modal_form\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003C\/form\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E","dialogOptions":{"width":"800","modal":true,"title":"Republish this content"}}]