Changing how the brain values cocaine to help people stop using
An Experimental Medicine Approach for the Mechanistic Understanding of Cocaine Use Disorder: Reinforcer Pathology
This project tries to change how people with cocaine use disorder think about future rewards so cocaine becomes less appealing.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Virginia Polytechnic Inst and St Univ NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Blacksburg, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11324584 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would visit the lab for behavioral tasks that measure how much you prefer immediate drug-like rewards versus larger later rewards. The team will take brain scans to see which brain areas are involved and use computer models to explain those choices. They will try interventions such as episodic future thinking (guided exercises to imagine positive future events) to lengthen your time horizon and reduce cocaine valuation. The work aims to find practical ways to shift decision-making that could be turned into new treatments.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults with a diagnosis of cocaine use disorder who can attend lab visits and complete behavioral tasks and MRI scans are ideal candidates.
Not a fit: People without cocaine use disorder, those who cannot undergo MRI or complete behavioral tasks, or those with unstable medical or psychiatric conditions are unlikely to benefit from participation.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to new behavior- and brain-based treatments that reduce craving and help people with cocaine use disorder cut down or stop using.
How similar studies have performed: Prior smaller studies show episodic future thinking can lower delay discounting and reduce drug valuation, but combining behavioral, neuroimaging, and computational approaches for cocaine use disorder is a newer and more comprehensive approach.
Where this research is happening
Blacksburg, United States
- Virginia Polytechnic Inst and St Univ — Blacksburg, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Laconte, Stephen M — Virginia Polytechnic Inst and St Univ
- Study coordinator: Laconte, Stephen M
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.