New brain scans could unlock secrets of drug addiction

NCT ID NCT01036685

Completed Knowledge-focused Sponsor: National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jul 17, 2026 · Updated 6 times

Summary

This study aims to create and improve cognitive tasks used during functional MRI scans to better understand how drugs affect the brain. It involves 525 healthy volunteers, including both drug users and non-users, aged 18 to 65. Participants perform tasks like memory tests or reaction-time games while in an MRI machine. The goal is to develop reliable tools for future addiction research, not to test a treatment.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.

What this could lead to: If successful, this could lead to better brain tests for studying addiction, helping researchers develop new treatments for drug abuse.
What could go wrong: This is a basic development study, not a treatment trial. The tasks may not reliably measure brain activity, and results may not directly lead to new therapies.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

nicotine dependence substance abuse substance-related disorder

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

DRUG ABUSE NICOTINE DEPENDENCE

Contacts and locations

Locations

National Institute on Drug Abuse, Biomedical Research Center (BRC)

Baltimore, Maryland, 21224, United States

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