Clinical trial Recruiting at 1 site Phase 2 Interventional Ages 18 to 60

Predicting naltrexone response in gaming disorder using eye tracking

Official title: Predicting Response to Naltrexone With Eye Tracking in Videogame Disorder

Run by University of Sao Paulo · NCT04649892 · Data updated 2026-11-12

A 12-week, double‑blind study will test whether eye-tracking can predict which individuals with gaming disorder respond to naltrexone.

Quick facts

PhasePhase 2
Study typeInterventional
Ages18 Years to 60 Years
SexAll
Enrollment40 (estimated)
SponsorUniversity of Sao Paulo
Academic / other
Locations1 site (São Paulo, São Paulo)
StatusRecruiting
StartedJuly 1, 2026
Main results expectedDecember 2026
Study endsJuly 2027
Registry record updatedJuly 27, 2026
Trial IDNCT04649892 on ClinicalTrials.gov

Is this trial a fit for you?

Likely a good fit

Ideal candidates are adults with internet gaming disorder meeting DSM-5 criteria and scoring high on IGDS9-SF with the VGDa criteria.

Probably not a fit

Patients without the specified VGDa profile or without measurable response to naltrexone may not benefit from this approach.

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

What this trial studies

This phase 2, interventional trial will enroll individuals meeting DSM-5 criteria for internet gaming disorder and a specific VGDa subgroup. Participants will receive naltrexone or a control condition for 12 weeks, with eye-tracking used to analyze attentional bias as a possible predictor of treatment response. Outcomes will assess whether eye-tracking patterns during tasks correlate with clinical response to the medication. The study design is double-blind to reduce bias, and results will inform whether eye-tracking can help personalize treatment for gaming disorder.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, the approach could help tailor naltrexone treatment to individuals most likely to benefit.

How similar studies have gone: Other studies have explored eye-tracking as a predictor in neuropsychiatric conditions, but this exact combination for gaming disorder and naltrexone is novel.

Who can join: the full rules

Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria:

* Patients will be evaluated initially in a clinical interview by a specialized psychiatrist and then by a second interviewer who will use a semi-structured interview to check the DSM-5 criteria for Video Game Disorder (VGD) modeled in the standard format of Schedules for clinical assessment in neuropsychiatry (SCID). Only a specific subgroup of VGD will be included in our sample, which will be called VGDa, a sample that represent a framework of behavioral dependence in essence. Patients in this sample must necessarily have the following symptoms: salience, withdrawal, relapse, conflict, mood modification and fissure. The criteria to delimit this subgroup are listed below:
* Patients diagnosed with Internet Gaming Disorder according to DSM-5
* Patients who have a score of 4 or higher on the following questions on the IGDS9-SF scale (Internet Gaming Disorder Scale 9 - Short Form):

Question 1: Salience assessment. Question 2: Abstinence assessment. Question 4: Relapse assessment. Question 6: Conflict assessment. Question 8: Mood modification assessment.

* Patients with craving according to the adaptation of the Gambling Follow-up Scale (GFS) described below.

An adaptation of the GFS scale, originally used to evaluate patients with Gambling Disorder, was made in order to allow the evaluation of the craving symptom in a patient with VGD. It will only be used the fourth question on this scale as follows.

"4) In the past 4 weeks, how was your desire to play?

1. I felt an irresistible urge to play.
2. I felt a strong desire to play, sometimes resistable, sometimes not.
3. I felt a strong desire to play, but resistable most of the time.
4. I felt a slight desire to play.
5. I didn't feel like playing. " It will considered that the patient has craving if he answers this question by selecting items 1, 2 or 3.

Patients must meet the following criteria before randomization:

* Have read and signed the informed consent form after the nature of the study has been fully explained and before carrying out any procedures related to the study;
* Age between 18 and 60 years old, inclusive;
* Female patients must be:

  1. In post-menopause for at least one year, or;
  2. Being surgically incapable of becoming pregnant (undergoing bilateral hysterectomy or oophorectomy or tubal ligation or otherwise being unable to become pregnant), or;
  3. Be practicing an acceptable method of birth control (defined as: hormonal contraceptives, spermicide plus barrier, a single vasectomized partner and / or intrauterine device).
  4. If a patient with the potential to become pregnant is practicing an acceptable method of birth control (as mentioned above), she must have a negative urine pregnancy test at the enrollment stage, as well as, at baseline, before receiving the study drug.

Exclusion Criteria:

* \- Established contraindication to naltrexone (opioid dependence, in the process of opioid withdrawal or current use of opioid analgesics) or hypersensitivity to naltrexone;
* Exposure to any other drug or experimental device in the 30 days prior to inclusion, except for occasional use of benzodiazepines;
* Pregnancy, breastfeeding or patients who intend to become pregnant during the study;
* Evidence of renal failure, defined as serum creatinine levels\> 133 mmol / L in men and\> 124 mmol / L in women, which correspond to\> 1.51 mg / dl and\> 1.41 mg / dl, respectively on Week 1 of inclusion;
* Evidence of clinically significant liver failure (defined as AST or ALT\> 2 times the upper limit of normal) in Week 1 of inclusion;
* Significant cardiovascular disease, including a history of myocardial infarction in the last 5 years, stroke, clinically significant heart valve disease, unstable angina, clinically abnormal ECG, arrhythmia or congestive heart failure, determining functional class III or IV (NYHA, 1964);
* Uncontrolled hypertension (defined as a diastolic blood pressure of 100 mm / Hg and / or a systolic blood pressure of 180 mm / Hg with or without medication). Hypertensive patients receiving medication should be receiving the same dose of the same antihypertensive medication for at least two months;
* Evidence of uncontrolled thyroid disorders, including hyper or hypothyroidism or abnormal TSH level. Patients who are known to have thyroid hormone replacement need to have had a stable dose for at least three months prior to inclusion and a normal TSH level upon inclusion
* History or current comorbidity with bipolar affective disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, psychotic disorder, schizophrenia or severe depression, additionally verified through the Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PQH-9\> 19), current suicide risk, or any other neuropsychiatric condition in severe cognitive impairment;
* Current or previous history (in the previous two years) of abuse / dependence on alcohol or other psychoactive substance (except nicotine);
* If at any moment the clinician responsible for the patient identifies suicidal ideation with risk of self-harm, or death;
* Clinically significant hematological or immunological disorder;
* Patients currently receiving psychotropic medications, except for the episodic use of benzodiazepines;
* Illiteracy, or any other condition that prevents the reading and understanding of the research instruments;
* Do not have a telephone line available for remote monitoring;
* Living alone, or not being able to present a family member capable of providing collateral information on gaming behavior;
* To be followed up in another therapeutic program.

The Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) will be used to verify the psychiatric exclusion diagnoses. This is a structured diagnostic interview, with quick application - approximately 45 minutes - compatible with the DSM-IV criteria. Its objective is the verification and standardization of the main Psychiatric Disorders of Axis 1 of DSM IV. It is performed by clinicians after rapid training (1 to 3 hours). The translated and adapted Brazilian version showed globally satisfactory reliability.

Where it's running

  • Hospital das Clínicas da faculdade de medicina da Universidade de São Paulo
    São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
    Recruiting

Study contacts

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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.
Last reviewed 2026-11-14 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.