Open-label Feasibility Trial of HD-tDCS During Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Cocaine Use Disorder
Key facts
- Who runs it
- Virginia Commonwealth University
- Where
- Richmond, United StatesSee the site
- Trial code
- Status
- Recruiting
- People taking part
- 36 people, planned
- Started
- Oct 2026
- Expected to end
- Dec 2027
- Type of study
- Interventional, 2 groups
- Treatments tested
- High Definition Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation
- Record updated
- 28 September 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 16 criteriaShow less
Who can take part
- Between 18 and 65 years-of-age
- Meet current DSM-5 criteria for Cocaine Use Disorder (CocUD), moderate or severe
- Professed interest in CocUD treatment or reducing cocaine use
- Understand and comply with study procedures
- Positive urine result for cocaine metabolite in at least one screening visit
Who cannot take part
- Fitted with electrical implants such as pacemaker
- Current DSM-5 diagnosis of any non-cocaine substance use disorder (SUD) other than alcohol use disorder-mild or cannabis use disorder-mild
- Epilepsy or a history of multiple seizures
- Taking any medications known to reduce seizure threshold
- History of migraines, ringing in the ears, and/or a head injury that resulted in a diagnosis of concussion and/or loss of consciousness
- Current scalp condition (e.g. psoriasis) or head wound that has not completely healed
- Currently pregnant or hoping to become pregnant at any point during the study
- Significant current suicidal or homicidal ideation
- Metal plate in skull or other embedded metal fragments in body or other bodily metal
- Claustrophobia or other MRI contraindications
- Present with clinically significant symptoms of acute cocaine or opioid withdrawal (these individuals would be rescheduled after resolution of acute withdrawal, if possible)
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
- Virginia Commonwealth UniversityRichmond, United StatesContact: Lisa StraubTaking people
About the trial
What the trial wants to find out
Cocaine Use Disorder (CocUD) is a significant public health issue with increasing cocaine-related overdose mortality. Effective treatments for CocUD are highly needed. One understudied target for CocUD therapeutics is improving cognitive function (CF) in that key theories attribute development of CocUD and other substance use disorders (SUD) to impaired CF, such as decreased ability to inhibit behavior. Heavy cocaine users show impairments in attention, working memory, planning, and response inhibition, affecting as many as 30-80% of individuals with SUD. These cognitive deficits affect patient engagement and participation in SUD treatment, thus necessitating SUD programs assess and accommodate cognitive problems throughout treatment.
The 2 groups in the trial
- Left-DLPFC HD-tDCSTreatment being tested
Electrode locations are standardized across participants using the International 10-20 EEG System
Treatment: High Definition Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation
- Right-DLPFC HD-tDCSTreatment being tested
Electrode locations are standardized across participants using the International 10-20 EEG System
Treatment: High Definition Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation
Questions to ask the study team
- How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
- Are travel costs paid?
- Can I keep my own doctor?
- What happens if I want to stop?
Contact the study team: see the registry record → Contacts and Locations
Print a page for my doctorData and sources
- Registry record
- Listed on ClinicalTrials.gov.
- Fit questions
- Built from NCT07829263, who can take part
- Record updated
- 28 September 2026