Smartphone app helps people on opioid treatment stay abstinent
Official title: Neurocognitive Mechanisms Underlying Smartphone-Assisted Prevention of Relapse in Opioid Use Disorder
Funded at Univ of Arkansas for Med Scis · NIH-11332430 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A smartphone app called OPTiMA supports people on medication-assisted treatment to stay in recovery by daily self-checks and personalized feedback.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Univ of Arkansas for Med Scis NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Little Rock, United States) |
| Project start | August 1, 2021 |
| Project end | May 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $501,455 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DA048022-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11332430 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with opioid use disorder who are receiving medication-assisted treatment and willing to use a smartphone app.
✕Less likely to help
People not using a smartphone or not in treatment with pharmacotherapy may not benefit from this app-based approach.
What this research studies
This project tests whether the OPTiMA app can help people receiving opioid use disorder treatment reduce opioid use over six months. Participants are randomly assigned to use OPTiMA or a monitoring-only version, with 204 total in the main comparison. A subset of about 120 participants will also undergo brain imaging to understand how attention to drug cues and cue-induced craving relate to treatment response. The study will also explore a location-based momentary assessment to deliver targeted help when people are in high-risk areas. If successful, the app could become a practical tool to support recovery in real-world settings.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If effective, OPTiMA could become an accessible, real-time support tool to reduce relapse risk for people in opioid treatment.
How similar studies have gone: Past apps have helped reduce cigarette and alcohol use, but this is one of the first to test a smartphone intervention specifically for opioid relapse prevention.
Where this research is happening
-
Univ of Arkansas for Med Scis
Little Rock, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: James, George Andrew — Univ of Arkansas for Med Scis
- Study coordinator: James, George Andrew
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Real-time relapse risk scoring for Opioid Use Disorder from trial data
A tool that uses data from opioid treatment trials to produce a real-time score predicting a patient’s risk of relapse in the near future.
-
Predicting Relapse Risk for Opioid Use Disorder
This project is creating a tool to help doctors understand a patient's risk of relapse for Opioid Use Disorder in real-time, using information from past treatment.
-
Exploring how unrealistic optimism affects opioid use and relapse
This study is looking at how being overly optimistic might affect people with opioid use disorder and their chances of relapsing, so we can better understand their decision-making and help create more effective treatment plans.
-
Predicting relapse risk for patients with Opioid Use Disorder
This study is working on a new tool that helps doctors predict the chances of someone with Opioid Use Disorder relapsing, using information like their treatment habits and drug tests, so they can provide better support when it's needed most.
-
Combining buprenorphine with extended-release naltrexone to prevent opioid relapse
This project checks whether adding daily buprenorphine to monthly extended‑release naltrexone helps people with opioid use disorder stay off opioids.
-
Using smartphone apps to help prevent relapse in people with opioid use disorder
This study is testing a smartphone app called OPTiMA to see if it can help people with opioid use disorder stay on track and avoid relapse, by giving them daily check-ins and personalized tips, while comparing it to a group that only gets regular monitoring.
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.