HD-tACS for Alcohol Use Disorder

NCT07808190 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: MZhao-028
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 140
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study aims to systematically explore the effectiveness of accelerated HD-tACS in treating AUD, particularly its efficacy in reducing alcohol craving and preventing relapse in AUD patients.

Conditions

Alcohol Use Disorder

Keywords

alcohol use disorder

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Change of Craving

  Visual Analog Scale, range 0-100 point, the higher the score, the more one wants drugs.

  baseline; The 2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th and 10th days during the intervention period; 4 weeks after treatment; 12 weeks after treatment

Secondary Outcomes (10)

• impulsivity

  baseline; 1 day after the treatment was completed

• Negative reinforcement learning task

  baseline; 1 day after treatment was completed

• Changes in Reward Learning

  baseline; 1 day after treatment was completed

• Compulsory drinking

  baseline; 1 day after treatment was completed

• Depressive state

  baseline; 1 day after treatment was completed

Study Arms (2)

HD-tACS group

EXPERIMENTAL

Using the transcranial electrical stimulation device, with the ring-shaped focusing technology, the current is locked in the target area through a 4\*1 electrode configuration, causing the peak to appear below the central electrode.

Device: HD-tACS

Sham HD-tACS group

SHAM COMPARATOR

Using the transcranial electrical stimulation device, with the ring-shaped focusing technology, the current is locked in the target area through a 4\*1 electrode configuration, causing the peak to appear below the central electrode.

Device: Sham HD-tACS

Interventions

HD-tACS DEVICE

The stimulation parameters are 40Hz and 2mA. The stimulation protocol is 20 minutes per session, 3 times per day, for a total of 10 consecutive days.

HD-tACS group

Sham HD-tACS DEVICE

The stimulation parameters are 40Hz and 2mA. The stimulation protocol is 20 minutes per session, 3 times per day, for a total of 10 consecutive days. At the commencement and conclusion of each therapeutic session, a 30-second ramp-up stimulation and a 30-second ramp-down stimulation (totaling 60 seconds) are administered, respectively, while the current output of the device is maintained at zero throughout the intervening interval.

Sham HD-tACS group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 55 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Age range: 18-55 years old, gender not restricted;
• Meets the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for alcohol use disorder (moderate to severe);
• AUDIT score ≥ 16;
• Baseline score after alcohol cue-induced stimulation is ≥ 3;
• Completed detoxification treatment before enrollment (moderate to severe), with detoxification duration of ≥ 7 days and ≤ 90 days;
• Has a primary school education or above, and can understand and complete the research assessment;
• Voluntarily participated in the study and signed the informed consent form.

You may not qualify if:

• Currently, there are other substance use disorders (except nicotine);
• Currently, there are schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or other severe psychotic disorders;
• Has a history of epilepsy or family history of epilepsy;
• Has a history of brain trauma, brain surgery or intracranial metal implants;
• Has received electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), transcranial electrical/magnetic/ultrasound stimulation within the past 6 months;
• Pregnant or lactating women;
• Other situations that the researchers consider unsuitable for participation in this study.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Shanghai Mental Health Center: lead

Study Sites (1)

Shanghai Mental Health Center

Shanghai, Shanghai Municipality, 200000, China

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Alcoholism

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

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

Study Officials

• Min Zhao

  Shanghai Mental Health Center

  STUDY CHAIR

Central Study Contacts

Haifeng Jiang

CONTACT

64387250; dragonjhf@hotmail.com

Tianzhen Chen

CONTACT

64387250; vomchan@hotmail.com

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: DOUBLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: August 31, 2026
• First Posted: September 8, 2026
• Study Start: September 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): December 31, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 31, 2026
• Last Updated: September 8, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-06

Locations

CN (1)