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Applying Neuromodulation to Boost the Efficacy of Motivational Interviewing

Key facts

Who runs it
The Mind Research Network
Where
Albuquerque, United StatesSee the site
Trial code
Status
Not yet recruiting
People taking part
82 people, planned
Started
Aug 2026
Expected to end
Aug 2028
Type of study
Interventional, 2 groupsOne group gets a placebo (a dummy treatment), for comparison.
Treatments tested
  • transcranial alternating current stimulation
  • sham transcranial alternating current stimulation
  • Motivational interviewing (MI)
Record updated
27 August 2026

Who can take part

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

The registry criteria, word for word

Show all 15 criteriaShow less

Who can take part

  • self-identification as having problematic cannabis use
  • age 21-65 years
  • SCID-5-RV module E indicating current cannabis use disorder

Who cannot take part

  • receiving treatment for any SUD within the prior 30 days
  • positive urine drug screen for any illicit drug other than cannabis
  • currently engaged in treatment for any substance use disorder (SUD)
  • history of brain injury or major neurological diagnosis, vascular/neurodegenerative disorder, or complex primary headache disorder
  • past-year substance use disorder other than cannabis, alcohol, or nicotine
  • evidence of current psychosis
  • current or recent (past-month) medically significant withdrawal
  • MRI/tACS contraindications, including pregnancy
  • impaired hearing (psychotherapy using American Sign Language is not possible within the scope of this study)
  • insufficient corrected visual acuity to complete the assessment instruments
  • unable to read/speak English fluently
  • unable to provide valid informed consent

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 21 and 65 years old?

Where in United States

  • The Mind Research NetworkAlbuquerque, United StatesContact: Research CoordinatorNot yet recruiting

About the trial

What the trial wants to find out

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn how adding brain stimulation to a brief counseling session affects adults with cannabis use disorder. The counseling session uses motivational interviewing, which helps people talk through their reasons for changing or not changing cannabis use. The brain stimulation is called transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS). tACS uses electrodes on the scalp to give a very weak electrical current for a short time.

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The main questions it aims to answer are:

* Does active tACS affect what participants say during the counseling session? * Does active tACS change brain activity after the session? * Is active tACS related to less cannabis use during the month after the session?

Researchers will compare motivational interviewing with active tACS to motivational interviewing with placebo stimulation. Placebo stimulation uses the same setup but does not provide the active 30-minute stimulation. Participants will be assigned by chance to one of these groups, and neither participants nor the study staff member running the session will know which type of stimulation is used.

Participants will complete questionnaires, breath and urine tests, a recorded counseling session during active or placebo stimulation, MEG and MRI brain scans, daily text-message check-ins about cannabis use, and follow-up questionnaires about one month later.

The 2 groups in the trial

  • MI+stimTreatment being tested

    30 minutes of motivational interviewing (MI) with active transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS)

    Treatment: transcranial alternating current stimulation and Motivational interviewing (MI)

  • MI+shamPlacebo, for comparison

    30 minutes of motivational interviewing (MI) with sham transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS)

    Treatment: sham transcranial alternating current stimulation and Motivational interviewing (MI)

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 NCT07787572, who can take part
Record updated
27 August 2026