Zapping the brain to beat opioid addiction: new trial tests rTMS
NCT ID NCT06585709
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study at Duke University is testing whether a brain scan (MRI) can predict who will successfully quit opioids using buprenorphine, and whether adding brain stimulation (rTMS) to the treatment helps more than a sham version. 80 adults with opioid use disorder who are starting buprenorphine will receive either real or placebo rTMS for up to 30 sessions. Researchers will track who stays opioid-free for 12 weeks.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could provide a new, non-drug brain stimulation method to help people with opioid use disorder stay off opioids when combined with standard medication.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage study with only 80 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The rTMS is compared to a sham (placebo) and may not provide additional benefit over buprenorphine alone.
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 80 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Dec 2024
- Expected to finish
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Oct 2026
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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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: 1. Age 18 or older; all genders included. 2. Intellectual level sufficient to provide informed consent and accurately complete assessment instruments (English speaking/writing). 3. Meet DSM-5 criteria for moderate or severe OUD. Individuals may also meet criteria for another substance use disorder (with the exception of alcohol or sedative/hypnotic); but must identify opioids as their primary substance. 4. Starting buprenorphine and planning on opioid abstinence Exclusion Criteria: 1. Pregnant, breast-feeding, or planning on getting pregnant. 2. Alcohol or sedative/hypnotic use disorders (seizure risk). 3. History of/or current psychotic disorder (e.g. schizophrenia). 4. Current or lifetime bipolar disorder. 5. Unstable Axis-I condition requiring starting a new medication. 6. Active suicidal ideation / suicide attempt within 90 days. 7. History of/or current dementia or other cognitive impairment. 8. Contraindications to receiving rTMS or undergoing MRI (implanted ferromagnetic metal, history of or high risk of seizure, implanted device). 9. Unstable general medical conditions.
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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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Duke University
RECRUITINGDurham, North Carolina, 27705, United States
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