Personalized relapse risk tool for people with alcohol use disorder
Official title: Personalized relapse prediction in Alcohol Use Disorder
Funded at University of Minnesota · NIH-11326632 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project aims to build a personalized tool using brain and behavior data plus machine learning to predict relapse risk for adults with alcohol use disorder.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Minnesota NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Minneapolis, United States) |
| Project start | May 1, 2023 |
| Project end | February 29, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $455,704 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AA029406-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11326632 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults aged 21 and older with a history of alcohol use disorder, especially those in or recently completing treatment, are the intended candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People without alcohol use disorder, individuals under 21, or those unable or unwilling to complete brain or behavioral testing are unlikely to benefit directly.
What this research studies
If you join, researchers will collect brain measures, behavioral tests, and drinking-history data to learn what predicts relapse. They will apply machine learning to large datasets to find patterns and group people into subtypes like 'reward,' 'relief,' or 'low-functioning' drinkers. The team plans to create a sparse, easy-to-use relapse-risk score that can be tracked during treatment. That score would be designed to update over time to help guide clinical decisions.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could give patients and clinicians an early warning of rising relapse risk so treatment can be adjusted sooner.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research has linked brain and behavioral markers to relapse and the investigators have promising preliminary data, but using machine learning to provide a real-time personalized relapse prediction tool is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Zilverstand, Anna — University of Minnesota
- Study coordinator: Zilverstand, Anna
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Cognitive Processing Therapy plus Relapse Prevention for people with alcohol problems and PTSD
This trial offers a combined Cognitive Processing Therapy and relapse-prevention program for adults with alcohol use disorder and PTSD to reduce drinking and PTSD symptoms.
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This offers live video mindfulness sessions as continuing care for adults with alcohol use disorder to help reduce heavy drinking and support recovery.
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How a spouse's mental health affects alcohol problems during marriage
This project looks at whether a spouse's psychiatric problems or genetic risk change when married people develop, recover from, or relapse into alcohol use disorder.
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Predicting relapse in people with alcohol use disorder
This study is working on a special tool to help people with alcohol use disorder by predicting when they might relapse, using smart technology to look at different personal factors, so that support can be better tailored to each individual’s needs during their recovery journey.
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.