Can a smartphone app boost addiction recovery by teaching brain science?
NCT ID NCT07178158
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Aug 07, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study will test whether a mobile app that teaches people about how addiction affects the brain is easy to use and acceptable for people receiving medication treatment for opioid or stimulant use disorders. Forty participants will use the app and complete surveys. The goal is to see if this approach is practical and liked by users, not yet to measure if it improves recovery.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Metacognium mobile app (neuroscience-informed psychoeducation)
- What this could lead to
- If the app is found to be feasible and acceptable, it could provide a new tool to help people in addiction treatment better understand their condition and stay engaged in recovery.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small, early feasibility study with only 40 participants. It is not designed to measure whether the app actually improves addiction outcomes, so even if it works here, larger trials are needed.
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
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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
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About 40 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jul 2026
- Expected to finish
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Apr 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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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
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18 to 65 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * current DSM-5 opioid and/or stimulant use disorder * currently on medication treatment for SUD * owning a smartphone with sufficient functionality to download and utilize the NIPA app. Exclusion Criteria: * current psychosis, mania, or suicidal/homicidal ideation * non-English speaking
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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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
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Virginia Commonwealth University
RECRUITINGRichmond, Virginia, 23298, United States
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Can AI and peer support close the opioid treatment gap?