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Brain scans reveal why some people struggle more with alcohol cravings

NCT ID NCT05843435

Knowledge-focused Sponsor: University of Bern Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
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 This study
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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026

Summary

This study looked at how two brain networks—one that controls impulses and one that reacts to alcohol cues—interact in people with alcohol use disorder. Using a powerful 7 Tesla MRI scanner, researchers compared 59 participants (patients and healthy controls) to see if a stronger negative link between these networks is tied to higher cravings and relapse risk. The goal was to better understand the brain mechanisms behind addiction, not to test a treatment.

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.

Participants

59 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

May 2024

Finished

Oct 2025

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.

Who is studied

AUD patients are detoxified and will be recruited upon entry to specialized residential treatment program at the Clinic Südhang in Kirchlindach in Switzerland. HC subjects will be recruited via advertisement in social media and local newspapers in the area of Bern in Switzerland.

Ages

18 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Accepted

You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.

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: * Abstained from alcohol for at least 4 weeks prior to fMRI measurement (AUD only) * Diagnosis of AUD according to ICD-11 (AUD only) * Written informed consent * Mother tongue German (or Swiss German) * Right-handedness * AUDIT ≤ 7 (HC only) * AUD-S \< 2 (HC only) * BSCL GSI ≤ 63 (T-value, HC only) * DUDIT \< 7 (HC only) Exclusion Criteria: * Other main psychiatric diagnosis than AUD (comorbidity allowed, but AUD has to be considered the main diagnosis, AUD only) * Neurocognitive problems * Current medical conditions excluding participation (e.g. acute infectious disease) * Inability to understand the participant information * Contraindication to Magnetic Resonance Imaging (e.g. metallic objects, pregnancy, claustrophobia) * History of alcohol and other substance use disorder (HC only) * Being staff or student of the project leader and other persons involved in the project

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

alcohol abuse Drinking Behavior Inhibition, Psychological

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Alcohol use disorder

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • University Hospital for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Bern

    Bern, 3000, Switzerland

More trials for these conditions

Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.