Zapping the brain while talking: a new angle on cocaine addiction
NCT ID NCT07829263
First seen Sep 18, 2026 · Last updated Sep 18, 2026
Summary
Researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University are testing whether adding high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) to cognitive behavioral therapy can help people with cocaine use disorder. The trial enrolls 36 adults aged 18 to 65 who meet criteria for moderate or severe cocaine use disorder and want to reduce their use. Participants receive eight 60-minute remote therapy sessions via Zoom, with brain stimulation delivered during the sessions. The main goal is to see if this combined approach is feasible and whether it reduces cocaine-positive urine tests.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- High Definition Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (HD-tDCS), a non-invasive brain stimulation device, combined with cognitive behavioral therapy
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a new way to help people with cocaine use disorder stay in treatment and reduce cocaine use.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage feasibility trial with no control group, so it cannot prove whether the brain stimulation adds benefit beyond therapy alone. Results may not generalize, and the device may cause mild scalp discomfort.
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 36 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Sep 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2027
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 to 65 years
- 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.
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 * Between 18 and 65 years-of-age. * Meet current DSM-5 criteria for Cocaine Use Disorder (CocUD), moderate or severe * Professed interest in CocUD treatment or reducing cocaine use. * Understand and comply with study procedures * Positive urine result for cocaine metabolite in at least one screening visit. Exclusion Criteria * Current DSM-5 diagnosis of any non-cocaine substance use disorder (SUD) other than alcohol use disorder-mild or cannabis use disorder-mild * Epilepsy or a history of multiple seizures * Taking any medications known to reduce seizure threshold * History of migraines, ringing in the ears, and/or a head injury that resulted in a diagnosis of concussion and/or loss of consciousness * Current scalp condition (e.g. psoriasis) or head wound that has not completely healed * Currently pregnant or hoping to become pregnant at any point during the study * Significant current suicidal or homicidal ideation * Metal plate in skull or other embedded metal fragments in body or other bodily metal * Claustrophobia or other MRI contraindications * Fitted with electrical implants such as pacemaker * Present with clinically significant symptoms of acute cocaine or opioid withdrawal (these individuals would be rescheduled after resolution of acute withdrawal, if possible).
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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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Virginia Commonwealth University
RECRUITINGRichmond, Virginia, 23298, United States
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