Zapping the brain to make better choices: a new hope for opioid addiction?
NCT ID NCT06577454
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Sep 18, 2026 · Updated 59 times
Summary
This study looks at whether transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) can change how people with opioid use disorder and healthy volunteers make risky or uncertain decisions. Participants will have MRI scans and computer tasks, and some will receive real or sham TMS. The goal is to understand brain activity linked to decision-making, not to directly treat addiction. The study is very early and currently on hold.
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 could point toward a non-drug brain stimulation approach to help people with opioid use disorder make better decisions and manage their use.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very early, small study (only 2 participants) that is currently suspended. It is designed to understand brain activity, not to test a treatment, so direct benefits are uncertain.
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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2 people
The number who actually took part.
- Expected to start
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Sep 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Aug 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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A government research agency
The lead sponsor is the US National Institutes of Health.
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 60 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: In order to be eligible to participate in this study, an individual must meet all of the following criteria: Both groups: -Participants will be volunteers between the ages of 18-60. Opioid-using group: * Participants must meet DSM-5 criteria for an opioid use disorder (active or in remission and on maintenance therapy). * Participants must be currently enrolled in and receiving medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder (MOUD; such as methadone, buprenorphine or naltrexone) and report a stable dose of their medication for at least 4 weeks prior to enrollment.\* * Participants in this group can meet DSM-5 criteria for other substance use disorders (such as alcohol, nicotine, or cocaine use disorder) currently or in the past but must also meet criteria for an OUD. * To note, participants in the opioid-using group will not receive direct clinical care from NIDA study staff, but enrollment in a MOUD program will be required for inclusion in this study. This will be assessed by self-report of enrollment in a known MOUD program and a urine screen confirming their reported treatment. Participants will also sign a release of information (ROI) form that provides contact details for their treatment provider and allows for communication between the study team and the participants treatment provider if necessary. EXCLUSION CRITERIA: An individual who meets any of the following criteria will be excluded from participation in this study: Controls: -Participants cannot meet DSM-5 criteria for current substance use disorders other than nicotine and marijuana and cannot meet criteria for current moderate or severe alcohol use disorder. All participants: * Participants cannot meet DSM-5 criteria for lifetime and/or current psychotic disorders such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder. * Participants cannot have a history of major head trauma resulting in cognitive impairment, seizure, or other neurological disorders. * Participants cannot have any history of significant neurological disorders, including seizures, epilepsy, or cognitive impairment which may impact MRI metrics. MAI will use discretion in evaluating the impact of minor events or history reported. * Participants cannot be pregnant. * Participants with Major Depressive Disorder (per DSM-V criteria) must be stable on medication(s) for 3 months. * Subjects with suicidal ideation where outpatient treatment is determined unsafe. * Subjects that cannot speak English. Justification: To include non-English speakers, we would have to translate the consent and other study documents and hire and train bilingual staff, which would require resources that we do not have and could not justify, given the small sample size for each experiment. Additionally, the data integrity of some of the cognitive tasks and standardized questionnaires used in this study would be compromised as they have only been validated in English. Most importantly, ongoing communication regarding safety procedures is necessary when participants are undergoing MRI procedures. The inability to effectively communicate MRI safety procedures in a language other than English could compromise the safety of non-English speaking participants. * Any contraindications to MRI. * For subjects continuing to the TMS portion of the protocol, contraindications for TMS.
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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
The full official record for this study. This one lists no contact details, but it is the first place any would appear.
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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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National Institute on Drug Abuse
Baltimore, Maryland, 21224, United States
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