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Can magnetic pulses curb alcohol cravings in veterans?

NCT ID NCT03995173

Symptom relief Sponsor: VA Office of Research and Development Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing This study
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026

Summary

This pilot study tests whether repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) can reduce alcohol cravings in veterans who also have mild traumatic brain injury or PTSD. Twenty veterans will receive either real or placebo rTMS over 10 sessions in two weeks. The goal is to see if this brain stimulation technique can help manage cravings and improve symptoms.

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 it works, this could point toward a non-drug treatment to help veterans with alcohol cravings after brain injury or PTSD.
What could go wrong
This is a very small pilot study with only 20 participants, so results may not apply widely. It is also early-stage, and the placebo group helps check if the effect is real.

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

Phase 2

Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.

Participants

1 person

The number who actually took part.

Started

Mar 2019

Expected to finish

Mar 2026

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

A government agency

The lead sponsor is a US federal agency other than the NIH.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

22 to 65 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

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

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * English Speaking * Veterans * Ages 22 through 65 * Meeting AUDIT-C criteria for AUD (4 for men and 3 for women) * Pass MRI screening using the Center for Translational Imaging (CTI) Safety Form. * Clinical Institute of Withdrawal Assessment in Alcohol Withdrawal (CIWA-Ar) scores of 10 Exclusion Criteria: * History of moderate to severe TBI * Documented and verified history of psychotic spectrum disorders (i.e., schizophrenia, bipolar) * Receipt of anti-epileptic medications to control active seizures or evidence of documented seizure within past six months * Receipt of tricyclic anti-depressants, antipsychotic agents, or other drugs that lower the seizure threshold * Current use of: * opiates * cocaine * amphetamines * barbiturates * benzodiazepine * marijuana/cannabis dependence as determined by the SCID-IV * Currently prescribed any anti-craving/addiction medications, i.e.: * naltrexone * varenicline * bupropion * disulfiram * acamprosate * Meet questionable validity or malingering criteria on the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2-RF (MMPI-2-RF; F: T score 107; F(p): T score 85; TRIN: T score 80; VRIN: T score 80) or the Letter Memory Test (LMT; total score 92%), as determined in IRB#13-077 * Pregnant or nursing * Have congestive heart failure * Have cardiac pacemaker or defibrillator, or: * cochlear implant * nerve stimulator * intracranial metal clips * implanted medical pump * increased intracranial pressure * History of: * surgery on blood vessels in brain and/or valves of the heart * brain hemorrhage * neurovascular conditions * neurodegenerative disorders * claustrophobia * metal in eye/face * shrapnel/bullet remnants in brain * Actively suicidal as evidenced by plan to harm or recent attempt communicated on the BDI-II or electronic medical record within the past 6 months * History of mild TBI within the last 3 months

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

alcohol abuse Brain Concussion post-traumatic stress disorder traumatic brain injury

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Alcohol use disorder Mild traumatic brain injury Post traumatic stress disorder

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital, Hines, IL

    Hines, Illinois, 60141-3030, United States

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