Scientists zap brains to unravel alcohol cravings
NCT ID NCT05611502
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study uses MRI scans and a non-invasive brain stimulation technique called TMS to understand how attention processes influence brain activity related to emotions, social thinking, and alcohol cues. Researchers will compare people who drink heavily with light drinkers or non-drinkers. The goal is to learn more about the brain mechanisms behind alcohol use, not to test a new treatment.
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 successful, this study could reveal how attention processes in the brain are linked to alcohol use, pointing toward new behavioral or brain-stimulation therapies.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage study (40 people) focused on understanding brain mechanisms, not testing a treatment. Results may not lead directly to a therapy or apply to everyone.
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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Aug 2022
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2025
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 years and older
- 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: 1\. Age 18 or Older 2A. (Drinker Group): Reports consuming 4 \[if female\]/ 5 \[if male\] or more standard drinks on one occasion at least 2 times a month AND/OR reports consuming more than 7 \[if female\]/ 14 \[if male\] standard drinks per week on average 2B. (Healthy Volunteer Group): Reports consuming 4 \[if female\]/ 5 \[if male\] or more standard drinks on one occasion less than once a month AND reports consuming less than 7 \[if female\]/ 14 \[if male\] standard drinks per week on average Exclusion Criteria: 1. MRI Contraindications 1. Presence of metal in the body that would make having a 7T MRI unsafe (including facial tattoos) 2. Claustrophobia, such that individual would be unable to stay in the MRI for up to 1 hr 3. Hearing loss, including tinnitus, that might be made worse by MRI or TMS 2. TMS Contraindications 1. Has ever had a seizure, or has a family history of epilepsy 2. Taking medications or substances that lower the seizure threshold\* 3. Implanted devices that are in the head or rely on physiological signals 4. History of neurological disease, such as stroke or brain tumor 5. Head injury with loss of consciousness greater than 30 minutes 6. Actively withdrawing from alcohol 3. Family history of schizophrenia or presence of psychotic symptoms
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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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Auburn University
RECRUITINGAuburn, Alabama, 36849, United States
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