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Clinical Trials/NCT03595293
NCT03595293
Withdrawn
Not Applicable

Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy-based Neurofeedback to Reduce Relapse in Prescription Opioid/Alcohol Use Disorders

Milton S. Hershey Medical Center0 sites30 target enrollmentJanuary 1, 2026

Overview

Phase
Not Applicable
Intervention
Not specified
Conditions
Alcohol Use Disorder
Sponsor
Milton S. Hershey Medical Center
Enrollment
30
Primary Endpoint
Increase in fNIRs signal response to pill/alcohol cues from pre-to-post neurofeedback sessions.
Status
Withdrawn
Last Updated
last year

Overview

Brief Summary

This study will examine the impact of functional near-infrared spectroscopy-based neurofeedback to a region within the brain's prefrontal cortex involved with self-regulation of resisting craving in alcohol use and prescription opioid use disorder patients. Participants will be asked to complete two cue reactivity tasks, six sessions of neurofeedback training as well as craving visual analog scales and self-efficacy questionnaires throughout a two-week period of their time in residential treatment at the Caron Treatment Center. They will be followed for 90 days after treatment completion at Caron to assess the impact neurofeedback had on their ability to remain sober once patients are living back in the "real world".

Registry
clinicaltrials.gov
Start Date
January 1, 2026
End Date
February 2028
Last Updated
last year
Study Type
Interventional
Study Design
Parallel
Sex
All

Investigators

Responsible Party
Principal Investigator
Principal Investigator

Sue Grigson

Professor and Chair, Department of Neural and Behavioral Sciences

Milton S. Hershey Medical Center

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

  • sex: male or female
  • Age: greater than or equal to 18 years
  • Caron Treatment Center residential patients with alcohol use disorder, moderate to severe (equivalent to Alcohol Dependence in DSM-IV-TR), or prescription opioid use disorder (pOUD)
  • Fluent in written and spoken English
  • Patients who are right-handed
  • Valid email address and reliable internet access after leaving the Caron Treatment Center

Exclusion Criteria

  • Patients who are concurrently receiving a psychoactive drug for the treatment of an Axis I disorder.
  • Patients with current major depressive disorder or schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, or a history of traumatic brain injury.
  • Decisional impairment
  • Adults unable to consent
  • Women who are pregnant
  • Prisoners
  • Patients who are left-handed
  • No reliable email addresses

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Increase in fNIRs signal response to pill/alcohol cues from pre-to-post neurofeedback sessions.

Time Frame: First two weeks of protocol

Increase in neural activation in the rDLPFC when viewing alcohol cues from the first neurofeedback session to the sixth (last) session.

Higher levels of abstinence 90-days post-residential treatment completion as assessed by the 7-day timeline followback questionnaires.

Time Frame: First 90 days after treatment completion at Caron Treatment Center

7-day timeline followback questionnaire will be sent out every week for 12 weeks to assess abstinence

Improved capacity to increase neural activity in response to alcohol/pill cues in the rDLPFC measured by the change in the blood-oxygen level dependent (BOLD) signal

Time Frame: First two weeks of protocol

Secondary Outcomes

  • Change in self-reported self-efficacy from pre-to-post neurofeedback sessions assessed via the brief situational confidence questionnaire.(First two weeks of protocol)
  • Change in self-reported craving from pre-to-post neurofeedback sessions assessed via a 100-point craving visual analog scale.(First two weeks of protocol)

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