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The Effect of rTMS to the Prefrontal Cortex in Alcohol Use Disorder

NCT03809286 · Status: SUSPENDED · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 44

Last updated 2026-03-19

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

The goal of this study is to investigate a treatment approach for alcohol use disorder (AUD) using a novel form of brain stimulation called deep repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS). The investigators will be targeting frontal regions of the brain that are important for memory and decision making. These brain regions have been shown to be impaired in patients with AUD. Previous studies have mostly used rTMS to a different frontal brain region that is not as deep. These studies have shown that rTMS can reduce craving for alcohol, but there is a lack of research showing that rTMS impacts alcohol consumption.

Conditions

Interventions

DEVICE

active rTMS

rTMS delivers magnetic stimulation to the brain by using an electromagnet to generate a current that can penetrate the scalp and skull.

BEHAVIORAL

Inpatient admission

All subjects will be admitted to the hospital for a brief detoxification period followed by 3 weeks of abstinence.

DEVICE

sham rTMS

The sham coil setting is designed to mimic the auditory artifact and the scalp sensations evoked by the real coil, and to produce activation of facial muscles similar to the effect of a real H coil, without stimulating the brain itself.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

    collaborator NIH

  • New York State Psychiatric Institute

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Jonathan Wai · New York State Psychiatric Institute

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
TRIPLE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
22 Years
Max Age
55 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2019-06-24
Primary Completion
2026-12-30
Completion
2026-12-30
FDA Device
Yes

Countries

  • United States

Study Locations

More Related Trials

Entities

Diseases

Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT03809286 on ClinicalTrials.gov