Mild electrical brain stimulation (tDCS) with cognitive training to reduce cocaine cravings.

Is this trial a fit for you?

A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.

What this trial studies

Adults with cocaine use disorder will be randomized in a double‑blind, factorial design to receive real or sham tDCS targeting the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex combined with either cognitive reappraisal training or a control condition. The trial plans to enroll 120 inpatients and deliver repeated stimulation sessions while tracking craving and drug use outcomes during the intervention and at a one‑month follow‑up. Neuroimaging before and after the intervention will be used to identify neural changes linked to recovery and to build predictors of individual response. The design builds on earlier phase 1–2 work and aims to inform development of scalable, potentially self‑administered interventions for managing craving.

Why it matters

Who can join: the full rules

Inclusion Criteria:

* Ability to understand and give informed consent
* Men and women 18-60 years of age.
* For women of childbearing potential, current use of a medically acceptable form of birth control
* DSM-5 diagnosis of stimulant use disorder with crack/cocaine as the drug of choice or opioid use disorder

Exclusion Criteria:

* Lifetime diagnosis of schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, schizophreniform disorder, bipolar I disorder, or delusional disorder as confirmed by the MINI or autism spectrum disorder as confirmed by medical history at the screening visit
* Current clinically significant or unstable medical conditions, including metabolic, endocrinological, oncological or autoimmune diseases, infectious diseases common in people with substance use disorders including Hepatitis B and C or HIV/AIDS; use of medications deemed exclusionary by the study team; or any laboratory value outside the reference range that the senior investigator team considers to be of clinical relevance
* Head trauma with loss of consciousness (\>30 min)
* History of neurological or developmental disease of central origin including stroke, brain tumor or seizures, encompassing those symptoms associated with periods of drug withdrawal or abstinence
* Metal implants or devices that may be impacted by the electrical stimulation and additional MR contraindications
* Women of childbearing potential must use a medically acceptable birth control method during the study and will be asked to take a pregnancy urine test before exposure to tDCS (or MRI)

Where it's running

• Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
  New York, New York, United States Recruiting

Study contacts

• Principal investigator: Rita Goldstein, PhD — Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
• Study coordinator: Jason Amadio, Clinical Research Coordinator
• Email: NARC@mssm.edu
• Phone: 646-937-2875

Similar studies

Other studies for the same condition or treatment. Recruiting studies are listed first.

• Using buprenorphine for pain relief after ankle fracture surgery

  This study tests if a skin patch with buprenorphine can help manage pain after ankle fracture surgery for patients who haven't used opioids before, while also looking at safety and the risk of addiction.

  Recruiting Phase 4 Washington University School of Medicine · St Louis, Missouri · NCT06949826

• Effects of ketamine and neurofeedback on cocaine addiction

  This study is testing whether combining ketamine with brain training can help people struggling with cocaine addiction reduce their use and improve their brain function.

  Recruiting Phase 2 Psychiatric University Hospital, Zurich · Zurich, Canton of Zurich · NCT06125054

• rTMS plus cognitive-behavioral therapy for cocaine use disorder

  This study tests whether adding rapid magnetic brain stimulation to standard CBT helps people with cocaine use disorder reduce use and improve brain connectivity.

  Recruiting New York State Psychiatric Institute · New York, New York · NCT05974202

• Evaluating the effects of suvorexant on drug demand in people with opioid use disorder

  This study is testing if the sleep medication suvorexant can help people with opioid use disorder reduce their cravings for drugs.

  Recruiting Early Phase 1 University of Maryland, Baltimore · Baltimore, Maryland · NCT05829655

• Community-based program for youth with opioid use disorder

  This study is testing a community program that helps young people with opioid use disorder get better treatment and support to see if it keeps them engaged in recovery and reduces overdoses.

  Recruiting Phase 4 The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston · Houston, Texas · NCT04811014

• CBD for Opioid Dependence and Pain on Buprenorphine

  This study tests whether different doses of cannabidiol (CBD) can affect pain and opioid cravings in adults with opioid use disorder who are on buprenorphine, using a short, randomized, placebo-controlled setup.

  Recruiting Early Phase 1 Yale University · West Haven, Connecticut · NCT07886606

How to take part

1. Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
2. Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
3. Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.