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Taking people in United StatesNo phase

Tdcs And cogNitive traininG cOmbined for AUD (TANGO)

Key facts

Who runs it
University of Minnesota
Where
Minneapolis, United StatesSee the site
Trial code
Status
Recruiting
People taking part
100 people, planned
Started
3 Mar 2022
Expected to end
30 Sept 2027
Type of study
Interventional, 2 groupsOne group gets a sham (pretend) treatment, for comparison.
Treatments tested
  • TaskFlow Transcranial Electrical Stimulation device
  • Executive Function Focused Cognitive Training
Record updated
30 October 2026

Who can take part

Age
18 years to 65 years
Sex
Women and men
Healthy volunteers
Cannot take part

The registry criteria, word for word

Show all 12 criteriaShow less

Who can take part

  • Meet the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders diagnostic criteria for AUD
  • Abstinent from alcohol use
  • Must have the intention to remain in the Lodging Plus program until the end of the intervention portion of the study

Who cannot take part

  • Any medical condition or treatment with neurological sequelae (i.e. stroke, tumor, loss of consciousness>30 min, HIV)
  • Any contraindications for tDCS or MRI scanning (tDCS contraindication: history of seizures; MRI contraindications; metal implants, pacemakers or any other implanted electrical device, injury with metal, braces, dental implants, non-removable body piercings, pregnancy, breathing or moving disorder)
  • Any primary psychotic disorder (e.g. schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder); Participants with other treated and stable psychiatric disorders will be included
  • Presence of a condition that would render study measures difficult or impossible to administer or interpret
  • Primary current substance use disorder diagnosis on a substance other than alcohol except for caffeine or nicotine
  • Clinical evidence for Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome
  • A head injury resulting in a skull fracture or a loss of consciousness exceeding 30 minutes (i.e., moderate or severe TBI)
  • Left-handedness
  • Entrance to the treatment program under a court mandate

Check if you might fit

Answer for yourself. This is not a decision: only the study team can say whether you can take part.

  • Are you between 18 and 65 years old?

Where in United States

  • University of MinnesotaMinneapolis, United StatesContact: Jazmin Camchong, PhDTaking people

About the trial

What the trial wants to find out

The overarching goal of this project is to expand the traditional expertise in non-invasive neuromodulation at the University of Minnesota towards developing novel paired-neuromodulation approaches using transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) for new treatments for alcohol use disorder (AUD) that support long-term abstinence. This study will allow the investigators to discern whether the pairing of dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) stimulation and cognitive training can lead to improved treatment outcomes as it pertains to executive functioning and maintenance of abstinence. This paired-neuromodulation approach can potentially be used as a therapeutic intervention to decrease relapse probability in addiction. The long-term goal is to develop new addiction treatments that support long-term abstinence. The exploratory goal of this research is to associate genotypes and epigenetic changes with variations in intervention response and clinical outcome. Individual differences in baseline genetic profiles or epigenetic changes over the course of treatment could be associated with treatment response variability.

The 2 groups in the trial

  • Participants receiving active transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)Treatment being tested

    Participants in this group will receive 5 sessions of active transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) while in the Lodging Plus treatment program and then 5 remote sessions of active tDCS to DLPFC after discharge from the treatment program. All participants will engage in executive functioning tasks for cognitive training during tDCS intervention (active or sham) to prime the engagement of the nucleus accumbens prefrontal cortex circuit. All participants will complete 4 MRI sessions. Craving measures will be collected before the first and after the last day of tDCS sessions. Follow-up interviews will be conducted monthly during a 4-month follow-up period after intervention completion to query relapse status. The first two follow-up interviews, at approximately 1- and 2-months post-intervention, will also include collection of cognition data.

    Treatment: TaskFlow Transcranial Electrical Stimulation device and Executive Function Focused Cognitive Training

  • Participants receiving active and sham active transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)Sham treatment, for comparison

    Participants in this group will receive 5 sessions of sham-tDCS sessions while in the Lodging Plus treatment program and then 5 remote sessions of active-tDCS to DLPFC after discharge from the treatment program. All participants will engage in executive functioning tasks for cognitive training during tDCS intervention (active or sham) to prime the engagement of the nucleus accumbens prefrontal cortex circuit. All participants will complete 4 MRI sessions. Craving measures will be collected before the first and after the last day of tDCS sessions. Follow-up interviews will be conducted monthly during a 4-month follow-up period after intervention completion to query relapse status. The first two follow-up interviews, at approximately 1- and 2-months post-intervention, will also include collection of cognition data.

    Treatment: TaskFlow Transcranial Electrical Stimulation device and Executive Function Focused Cognitive Training

Questions to ask the study team

  1. How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
  2. Are travel costs paid?
  3. Can I keep my own doctor?
  4. What happens if I want to stop?

Contact the study team: see the registry record → Contacts and Locations

Print a page for my doctor

Data and sources

Registry record
Listed on ClinicalTrials.gov.
Fit questions
Built from NCT05062369, who can take part
Record updated
30 October 2026