Understanding how craving affects decision-making in opioid use disorder

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

This study investigates the relationship between craving and decision-making in individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD). It employs cognitive decision-making tasks to assess how much participants are willing to pay for consumer items or snack foods when experiencing cravings for opioids or specific snacks. The research aims to uncover the neural mechanisms that link craving with the valuation of choices, utilizing various audio-visual stimuli to evoke cravings during the decision-making process. Participants will be monitored using brain imaging techniques to analyze the activity patterns in regions associated with craving and value assignment.

Why it matters

Who can join: the full rules

Inclusion Criteria:

* At least 18 years of age
* Willingness to follow study requirements, as evidenced by an ability to provide written informed consent and read, understand, and complete the study procedures
* Minimum of 6th grade reading level

Additional inclusion criteria for participants with OUD:

* Primary diagnosis of OUD encompassing heroin and/or painkiller use
* Receiving medications for OUD treatment on an outpatient basis
* At least 12-month history of opioid use

Exclusion Criteria:

* Unable to speak or read English
* Active psychosis or mania
* Current or past schizophrenia diagnosis
* History of intellectual disability or developmental or neurological disorder, seizures or epilepsy, or loss consciousness lasting more than 30 minutes
* Severe medical conditions requiring hospitalization or that, in the opinion of the study staff could compromise study participation
* MRI contraindications (claustrophobia, nonremovable piercings, certain metal in the body etc.) or pregnancy

Additional exclusion criteria for community control participants:

* Positive urine drug screen
* Current or past problematic substance use other than nicotine, and alcohol abuse confined to college or military service
* Current or past bipolar disorder diagnosis
* Use of central nervous system medications within the past 6 weeks (e.g., antidepressants, Ritalin)

Where it's running

• Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
  Piscataway, New Jersey, United States Recruiting

Study contacts

• Principal investigator: Anna Konova, PhD — Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
• Study coordinator: Anna Konova, PhD
• Email: anna.konova@rutgers.edu
• Phone: 732-235-4335

Similar studies

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

• How vaccine-related inflammation may affect how doctors make treatment decisions

  This study tests whether a mild inflammatory state from a flu shot changes decision-making in emergency and internal medicine clinicians.

  Recruiting at 3 sites Phase 2 University of Arkansas, Fayetteville · Fayetteville, Arkansas and 2 other locations · NCT07842367

• Testing Alcohol Health Warning Labels for US Adults

  A randomized online study will test different warning statements about alcohol and breast cancer risk among adult US women who drink or are young non-drinkers to see which warnings are most convincing.

  Recruiting University of Oklahoma · Oklahoma City, Oklahoma · NCT07812545

• Benchmarking AI language models against tumor boards for oncology treatment decisions

  This project tests whether frontier AI language models can match the treatment recommendations of multidisciplinary tumor boards for common cancers using standardized synthetic cases.

  Recruiting Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris · Boulogne-Billancourt and 4 other locations · NCT07739121

• Heart rate variability feedback to help practitioners make better patient decisions

  This study tests whether giving healthcare workers HRV feedback during care improves how quickly and safely they respond to ventilator events and bedside needs.

  Recruiting Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust · Cambridge, Cambridgeshire · NCT07709364

• Testing warning labels on cannabis packaging to see what design helps people notice risks

  Researchers are testing different cannabis warning labels to see which designs make people notice health risks and think about their use more carefully.

  Recruiting University of Oklahoma · Oklahoma City, Oklahoma · NCT07701304

• Support for Just-In-Time Consent for Prenatal Screening

  This study tests a short set of information cards delivered on a phone to help pregnant people decide about prenatal screening.

  Recruiting at 3 sites Case Western Reserve University · San Francisco, California and 2 other locations · NCT07557303

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.