Prevention of Relapse Through Cognitive Cycling in Patients With Alcohol Use Disorder Following Alcohol Withdrawal

NCT07690423 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: 2025-A01438-41
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 128
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

Brief Summary

TUA-VelCo is a single-center randomized controlled superiority trial with blinded methodological assessment. Adult patients hospitalized for alcohol withdrawal and meeting the criteria for Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition will be eligible for inclusion. Participants will be randomly assigned to either a cognitive cycling intervention group or a control group. Participants in the experimental group will receive, in addition to standard addiction care, 12 cognitive cycling sessions (three sessions per week over four weeks). The control group will receive standard care combined with 12 scheduled telephone interviews conducted in parallel with the cognitive cycling sessions. Assessments will be conducted at baseline, 1 month (M1), and 3 months (M3) following hospital discharge. The primary outcome will be the proportion of participants maintaining abstinence at M1. Secondary outcomes include maintenance of abstinence at M3 and within-group and between-group changes in craving, cognitive functioning, insight, psychiatric symptoms, and motivation to maintain abstinent. These outcomes will be assessed using validated scales, including the Obsessive Compulsive Drinking Scale, Montreal Cognitive Assessment, Hanil Alcohol Insight Scale, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, and Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale. Biomarkers related to alcohol consumption and neuroplasticity will also be evaluated.

Conditions

Treatment; Cognitive Cycling; Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD)

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• proportion of participants maintaining abstinence at M1

  From enrollment to the end of the treatment at 4 weeks

Study Arms (2)

Cognitive cycling group

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants in the experimental (cognitive cycling) group will receive, in addition to standard addiction care, 12 cognitive cycling sessions (three sessions per week over four weeks)

Other: cognitive cycling

Control phone group

NO INTERVENTION

The control phone group will receive standard care combined with 12 scheduled telephone interviews conducted in parallel with the cognitive cycling sessions

Interventions

cognitive cycling OTHER

Participants in the experimental group will receive, in addition to standard addiction care, 12 cognitive cycling sessions (three sessions per week over four weeks). The control group will receive standard care combined with 12 scheduled telephone interviews conducted in parallel with the cognitive cycling sessions. Assessments will be conducted at baseline, 1 month (M1), and 3 months (M3) following hospital discharge.

Cognitive cycling group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• adults aged ≥ 18 years
• patients with a diagnosis of alcohol use disorder (AUD) according to DSM-5 criteria
• who have been hospitalized for complex withdrawal and aim to maintain abstinence after discharge
• patients must have preserved cognitive function, defined as a Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) score ≥ 26
• patients must provide written informed consent

You may not qualify if:

• pregnant women
• patients with unstable psychiatric or somatic conditions
• with a contraindication to physical activity
• participants in structured rehabilitation programs during the first month
• adult under guardianship
• with inability to understand French or provide informed consent
• with major neurocognitive disorder
• with regular physical activity
• participation in another interventional study interfering with outcomes

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Centre Hospitalier Esquirol: lead

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Alcoholism

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Alcohol-Related Disorders; Substance-Related Disorders; Chemically-Induced Disorders; Mental Disorders

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: DOUBLE
• Who Masked: INVESTIGATOR, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Principal Investigator

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: July 1, 2026
• First Posted: July 8, 2026
• Study Start: July 8, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): September 1, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2027
• Last Updated: July 10, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-07