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Can magnetic pulses to the brain help fight alcohol addiction?

NCT ID NCT05738174

Disease control Sponsor: Berthold Langguth, MD, Ph.D. Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 26, 2026

Summary

This study tests a brain stimulation technique called theta burst stimulation (TMS) to see if it can reduce alcohol cravings and prevent relapse in people with alcohol dependence. Seventy-two adults who want to cut back or quit drinking will receive either real or sham stimulation over five days. The main goal is to measure changes in craving levels and track who stays alcohol-free.

What this could mean

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

Active substance
transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)
What this could lead to
If it works, this could offer a non-drug treatment to help people with alcohol dependence reduce cravings and stay sober.
What could go wrong
This is an early-stage trial with only 72 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The treatment is also intensive (five sessions per day for five days), and it's unclear if effects last long-term.

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

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

About 72 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Mar 2023

Expected to finish

Feb 2026

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 to 65 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * alchohol dependence according to ICD-10 (F10.2) * desire to reduce or abstain from alcohol drinking * male or female * 18-65 years * residency in Germany, German speaking * written informed consent Exclusion Criteria: * contraindications for transcranial magnetic stimulation (electric devices or metal parts in the body such as pacemaker) * relevant neurological or internistic diseases according to study investigator * treatment with TMS in the past * participation in other trials during treatment * pregnancy or breatfeeding * positive breath test for alcohol * legal care and placement in a psychiatric hospital * co-medication with disulfiram, acamprosate, topiramate, baclofen, naltrexone, or nalmefene * acute psychiatric comorbidity that requires inpatient treatment or medication readjustment (\<1 month) * severe chronic psychiatric illness (schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder) * patients who are unable to complete study questionnaires or follow-up questionnaires (in the opinion of the investigators)

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

alcohol abuse alcohol dependence

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Alcohol dependence

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

  1. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. A doctor treating you

    A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Regensburg

    RECRUITING

    Regensburg, 93055, Germany

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