Neuromodulation of Executive Control for Substance Use Disorders

November 5, 2026 updated by: Hamed Ekhtiari, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

TACS fMRI (NEC-TACS)

The purpose of this research study is to determine the effectiveness of a procedure called transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) using a device called StarStim cap and its effects on drug cravings.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Participants will undergo a 1-2-day screening that includes a urine drug screen, clinical interview, and self-reporting assessments, once screening is complete, participants will complete a (EEG) recording of your brainwaves. The EEG recording and electrode placement will take about 2 hours. The next portion of the study will involve the use of the StarStim device and an MRI, and you will be asked a series of questions while wearing the device. The day after the MRI scan you will receive a short phone call from study staff. You will be asked to participate in study visits for 2 or 3 days and have 1 follow-up visit. Total study duration for this research study is up to 2 weeks.

The electrical stimulation that the StarStim device uses is considered to be safe, and we are not anticipating any serious side effects. However, mild side effects could include headache, itching and tingling. There are additional risks involved with MRI scans.

You may not receive any personal benefits from being in this study. We hope the information learned from this study will benefit other people with similar conditions in the future.

If you are interested in learning more about this study, please continue to read below. Participating in this research study is voluntary; it is your choice.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
60

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Contact Backup

  • Name: Stephanie Neaves, MRC
  • Phone Number: 214-648-86044

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Texas
      • Dallas, Texas, United States, 75235
        • UT Southwestern Medical Center

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 65 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Able to provide written consent and comply with study procedures.
  2. Adults aged 18 to 65 years at the time of consent.
  3. Meets the MINI diagnostic criteria for either methamphetamine use disorder (MUD).

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Any contraindications for tACS or MRI scanning (tACS contraindication: history of seizures; potential MRI contraindications, up to the discretion of AIRC and CBH staff: metal implants, pacemakers or any other implanted electrical device, injury with metal, braces, dental implants, non-removable body piercings, pregnancy, breathing or moving disorder).
  2. Any medical condition or treatment with neurological sequelae (i.e., stroke, tumor).
  3. Over 9 months of abstinence from substance use.
  4. A head injury resulting in a loss of consciousness exceeding 30 minutes (i.e., moderate or severe TBI).
  5. Presence of a condition that would render study measures difficult or impossible to administer or interpret.
  6. Entrance to the treatment program under a court mandate. (i.e. legally incarcerated).
  7. History of ECT or cortical energy exposure within the past 6 months, including participation in any other neuromodulation studies.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Prevention
  • Allocation: Non-Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Arm 1: Active intervention- tES (transcranial electrical stimulation), then Sham Intervention

tES is considered to be a safe brain stimulation technique that rarely results in adverse events. There is currently no evidence of serious side-effects. Mild side-effects that typically resolve upon discontinuing tACS. The subject may choose to discontinue stimulation at any time during the session if experiencing excessive discomfort or side effects.
Device: Electrical Stimulation

This study involves the use of an investigational device called StarStim. "Investigational" means that the device has not yet been approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) for helping people recover from drug addiction.

This study will help find out what effects, good and/or bad, this device has. The safety of this device in humans has been tested in prior research studies; however, some side effects may not yet be known

Device: Sham intervention

comparator arm
Experimental: Arm 2: Sham intervention, then Active comparator intervention
Device: Electrical Stimulation

This study involves the use of an investigational device called StarStim. "Investigational" means that the device has not yet been approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) for helping people recover from drug addiction.

This study will help find out what effects, good and/or bad, this device has. The safety of this device in humans has been tested in prior research studies; however, some side effects may not yet be known

Device: Sham intervention

comparator arm

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Brain stimulation and MRI
Time Frame: Individual participant data will be analyzed after completion of that participant's study procedures. The final study-level outcome analysis and reporting are planned by study completion, anticipated within one year. This analysis and reporting schedule

Task-dependent functional connectivity measured using psychophysiological interaction (PPI) analysis of blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) functional MRI data. PPI regression coefficients quantify differences in connectivity during drug-related versus neutral cues within the executive control network, including the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and inferior parietal cortex, and between executive control regions and limbic regions, including the ventral striatum and amygdala. Connection-specific PPI coefficients will be reported separately, with within-participant comparisons between active in-phase, active anti-phase, and sham tACS conditions.
Individual participant data will be analyzed after completion of that participant's study procedures. The final study-level outcome analysis and reporting are planned by study completion, anticipated within one year. This analysis and reporting schedule

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
October 15, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
August 1, 2030

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
August 1, 2030

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
October 8, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 5, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
November 12, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
November 12, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 5, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
November 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • STU20252588

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

Yes

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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