Can imagining future events and brain zaps ease pain and cravings?
NCT ID NCT05901610
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Sep 15, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This study looks at whether imagining positive future events (Episodic Future Thinking) and using low-intensity focused ultrasound on the brain can help people with both chronic pain and alcohol use disorder. Ten adults will try these interventions and report changes in pain, cravings, and decision-making. The goal is to understand how these approaches might influence behavior and pain perception.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Episodic Future Thinking (behavioral) and Low-intensity Focused Ultrasound (device)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could point toward new ways to help people with chronic pain and alcohol use disorder manage their conditions by changing how they think about the future.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small, early study (10 people) that is currently suspended. It tests short-term effects only, so results may not lead to a real 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.
- 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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4 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Jun 2024
- Finished
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Jul 2026
- 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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21 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. 21 years old or older 2. Report chronic pain 3. Have sufficiently stable self-reported mental and physical health in order to complete the survey 4. Meet DSM-V clinical criteria for alcohol use disorder (i.e., four or more criteria) 5. Not have unmanaged medical or psychiatric conditions the survey Exclusion Criteria: 1. Claustrophobia (scanning environment may be uncomfortable) 2. Contraindications to MRI: including pacemaker, aneurysm clips, neurostimulators, cochlear implants, metal in eyes, steel worker, or other implants. 3. Contraindications to CT: pregnancy 4. Active medical disorder or treatment with potential CNS effects (e.g. Alzheimer's) 5. History of neurologic disorder (e.g. Parkinson's, Epilepsy, or Essential Tremor) 6. History of head injury resulting in loss of consciousness for \>10 minutes 7. Failure to provide a Social Security Number or Tax ID number. This is required for tax purposes.
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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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC
Roanoke, Virginia, 24016, United States
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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