Zapping the brain to fight alcohol addiction: new pilot study
NCT ID NCT07227545
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This pilot study will test whether a high-intensity brain stimulation device can help people with alcohol use disorder reduce their cravings and drinking. Eighteen adults will receive 20 sessions of stimulation over 10 days. Researchers will measure changes in cravings, drinking behavior, and withdrawal symptoms.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- high-intensity transcranial alternating current stimulation (HI-tACS) device
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a non-invasive brain stimulation treatment to help control alcohol cravings and reduce drinking.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small pilot study with only 18 participants and no control group, so results may not be reliable or generalizable. The treatment is experimental and may not reduce cravings or drinking.
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 18 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Dec 2025
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Dec 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 to 60 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: * Education level of junior high school or above, capable of completing questionnaires and behavioral tests; * Aged 18-60 years; * Meet DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for Alcohol Use Disorder; * No abnormal findings on physical examination; * Agree to participate in follow-up assessments; * No contraindications for MRI scanning. Exclusion criteria: * Have impaired intelligence (Intelligence Quotient\<70); * Prior tDCS or TMS treatment within the past 3 months; * Contraindications for TMS therapy (e.g., intracranial metal implants, history of traumatic brain injury, skull defects, cardiac pacemakers, cardiovascular diseases, or epilepsy); * Severe somatic diseases or major organ dysfunction; * Psychiatric disorders per DSM-5 criteria (e.g., schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorder, dementia, memory impairment, or other cognitive disorders).
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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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Shanghai Mental Health Center
Shanghai, China
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Zapping the brain to fight alcoholism: a new hope?