Brain scans reveal Anxiety's hidden role in alcohol recovery
NCT ID NCT06793488
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study looks at how anxiety affects the brain in people with alcohol use disorder during early and long-term abstinence. Researchers will use fMRI scans and the medication disulfiram (Antabuse) to help participants stay sober. They aim to understand the brain circuits linked to anxiety, which could lead to better support for recovery.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Disulfiram (Antabuse)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could reveal how the brain drives anxiety during alcohol withdrawal, pointing toward better treatments for alcohol use disorder.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very early, small study (60 people) focused on understanding brain activity, not testing a new treatment. Results may not lead to direct therapies.
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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Early phase 1
The earliest testing in people: a first look at safety, in a very small group.
- Participants
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About 60 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Sep 2025
- Expected to finish
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Aug 2029
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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21 to 55 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide 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 (Participants with Alcohol use Disorder): 1. Between the ages of 21 and 55 2. Right-handed 3. Able to perform informed consent and comply with study 4. Seeking treatment for AUD 5. Meets The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) criteria for AUD of at least moderate severity (\>3 symptoms) Inclusion Criteria (Healthy Volunteer Participants): 1. Between the ages of 21 and 55 2. Right-handed 3. Able to perform informed consent and comply with study 4. Report drinking an average of fewer than 8/15 standard drinks per week for women/men and no more than 1 HDD (heavy drinking days) during the previous 28 days. Exclusion Criteria (Participants with Alcohol use Disorder): 1. Neurological, medical or other conditions that would interfere with MRI scanning (e.g., history of stroke, seizure, brain tumor, brain infection, traumatic brain injury, multiple sclerosis, dementia, non MRI-compliant metal device in body, pregnancy, claustrophobia, color blindness, severe hearing impairment, weight\>300 lbs., wheelchair-bound, tattoos as indicated by the guidelines established by the Zuckerman Institute MRI unit: https://mr.research.columbia.edu/ 2. DSM 5 diagnoses of schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, or bipolar disorder 3. Any non-AUD psychiatric disorder that may, according to the investigator's judgment, require treatment over the course of the study 4. Significant suicide or violence risk 5. Currently taking psychotropic medication 6. Current substance use disorder other than AUD, tobacco use disorder or mild cannabis use disorder 7. Currently pregnant, attempting to become pregnant or nursing 8. Sufficiently socially unstable as to preclude participation (e.g. homeless). 9. Known history of allergy, intolerance, or hypersensitivity to disulfiram or its derivates 10. Contraindications to disulfiram treatment (e.g. liver disease, kidney disease, cardiac disease, seizure disorder, hypothyroidism, diabetes mellitus, pregnancy or lactation, allergy to disulfiram or thiuram derivatives) 11. Currently taking medications containing alcohol, metronidazole, isoniazid, paraldehyde, phenytoin, warfarin, or theophylline. 12. Treatment with concomitant medications that might interfere with disulfiram 13. A history of alcohol withdrawal seizures, delirium tremens or resistant alcohol withdrawal 14. Current moderate or severe alcohol withdrawal (CIWA \>9 with BAL\<0.05) 15. History of prior disulfiram treatment failure 16. Being abstinent for \> 7 days at the time of screening Exclusion Criteria (Healthy Volunteer Participants): 1. Neurological, medical or other conditions that would interfere with MRI scanning (e.g., history of stroke, seizure, brain tumor, brain infection, traumatic brain injury, multiple sclerosis, dementia, non MRI-compliant metal device in body, pregnancy, claustrophobia, color blindness, severe hearing impairment, weight\>300 lbs., wheelchair- bound, tattoos as indicated by the guidelines established by the ZI MRI unit: https://mr.research.columbia.edu/ 2. DSM 5 diagnoses of schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, or bipolar disorder 3. Any psychiatric disorder that may, according to the investigator's judgment, require treatment over the course of the study 4. Significant suicide or violence risk 5. Currently taking psychotropic medication 6. Current substance use disorder other than tobacco use disorder or mild cannabis use disorder 7. Currently pregnant, attempting to become pregnant or nursing 8. Sufficiently socially unstable as to preclude participation (e.g., homeless). 9. A diagnosis of AUD of any severity
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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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Columbia University Irving Medical Center
RECRUITINGNew York, New York, 10019, United States
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