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Effects of tDCS Paired With Cognitive Training on Brain Networks Associated With Alcohol Use Disorder in Veterans

NCT04574167 · Status: COMPLETED · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 45

Last updated 2026-03-13

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Alcohol misuse is an epidemic among Veterans in the United States. Nearly 1/3 of Veterans have a lifetime history of Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD). In 2014, there were 15,306 unique patients treated in inpatient VA treatment programs alone, which represents a 10.7% increase from just two years prior. Unfortunately, about 2/3 of those entering treatment will relapse within one year.

Cognitive impairments found in chronic alcohol use interfere with adaptive behavior needed for successful recovery. These cognitive impairments and their underlying neural substrates may provide promising new targets for interventions that can reduce relapse rates. Evidence suggests that cognitive training can improve cognition in individuals with AUD, strengthen neural networks mediating cognition, and improve treatment outcome. However, cognitive training is effort intensive, has small effect sizes, and may have limited durability. The primary objective of this study is to investigate if transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can increase the effectiveness of cognitive training to enhance cognition in alcohol use disorder and improve treatment outcome.

Conditions

Interventions

DEVICE

Active Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS)

Cognitive training concurrent with 2 mAmps of anodal stimulation applied to the left frontal cortex for 20 minutes.

DEVICE

Sham Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS)

Cognitive training concurrent with sham tDCS (30 secs ramp up/ramp down of current at beginning and end of session).

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Medical Center

    collaborator FED

  • University of Minnesota

    collaborator OTHER

  • VA Office of Research and Development

    lead FED

Principal Investigators

  • Kelvin O Lim, MD · Minneapolis VA Health Care System, Minneapolis, MN

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
QUADRUPLE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

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

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2020-01-01
Primary Completion
2026-03-06
Completion
2026-03-06
FDA Device
Yes

Countries

  • United States

Study Locations

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Entities

Diseases
Companies

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 NCT04574167 on ClinicalTrials.gov