CARS: Cannabis and Alcohol Reduction Study (CARS)

Brief Computerized Intervention for Reducing Adolescent Cannabis and Alcohol Use

The study will test a computerized treatment with subjects ages 13-17 years who are seeking treatment for alcohol and/or cannabis use. Follow-up assessments will be conducted at one- and three-months following treatment.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Substance Use; Substance Use Disorders; Cannabis Use; Alcohol Use, Unspecified
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: modified Approach-Avoidance Task (mAAT), which aims to modify automatic approach bias; Behavioral: modified Approach-Avoidance Task (mAAT) that does not aim to modify automatic approach bias.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 52
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Austin M Hahn, Ph.D.; Phone Number: 854-444-9456; Email: hahna@musc.edu

Study Locations

• United States
  • South Carolina
    • Charleston, South Carolina, United States, 29425
      • Recruiting
      • Medical University of South Carolina
      • Contact: Austin Hahn, Ph.D.; Phone Number: 854-444-9456

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 13 years to 17 years (Child)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• between the ages of 13 and 17
• be seeking treatment for either cannabis or alcohol use;
• report co-occurring alcohol and cannabis use during the past three months (i.e., participants who report using both alcohol and cannabis during the three months prior to participation in the study, regardless of if the use was simultaneous)
• have a caregiver willing to participate and provide consent.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Double

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Group A: Treatment Group	Behavioral: modified Approach-Avoidance Task (mAAT), which aims to modify automatic approach bias; Participants will undergo a baseline assessment before completing computerized tasks. During the baseline assessment, participants will be asked questions about alcohol and cannabis use. We will also ask questions about the way participants think about things, past life experiences related to substance use, and questions about how participants feel about reducing their substance use. Then, participants will complete a series computerized tasks where they will push and pull a joystick in response to images that are presented on a screen or where they will try to get a high score. During the computerized tasks, we will also be measuring brain activity using EEG. During the study, participants will also be asked to respond to questions about their health and behavior using an app on a smartphone or tablet using a secure program. Participants in the Treatment Group will then complete four sessions of the modified Approach-Avoidance Task (mAAT), which aims to modify automatic approach bias.
Sham Comparator: Group B: Control Group	Behavioral: modified Approach-Avoidance Task (mAAT) that does not aim to modify automatic approach bias.; Participants will undergo a baseline assessment before completing computerized tasks. During the baseline assessment, participants will be asked questions about alcohol and cannabis use. We will also ask questions about the way participants think about things, past life experiences related to substance use, and questions about how participants feel about reducing their substance use. Then, participants will complete a series computerized tasks where they will push and pull a joystick in response to images that are presented on a screen or where they will try to get a high score. During the computerized tasks, we will also be measuring brain activity using EEG. During the study, participants will also be asked to respond to questions about their health and behavior using an app on a smartphone or tablet using a secure program. Participants in the Control Group will then complete four sessions of an Approach-Avoidance Task (mAAT) that does not aim to modify automatic approach bias.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in cannabis use as assessed by Timeline Followback	The TLFB is a calendar-assisted semi-structured interview that will be used to assess cannabis and alcohol use since the last assessment. The TLFB will assess the number of days a person used cannabis over the past 90 days compared to the 90 days prior to enrolling in this study.	Baseline and Three-Month Follow-up
Change in alcohol use as assessed by Timeline Followback	The TLFB is a calendar-assisted semi-structured interview that will be used to assess cannabis and alcohol use since the last assessment. The TLFB will assess the number of days a person consumed alcohol over the past 90 days compared to the 90 days prior to enrolling in this study.	Baseline and Three-Month Follow-up
Change in Cannabis Approach Bias (D-Score)	D scores will be calculated for each participant at baseline, posttest, and three-month follow-up. Participants' mean reaction times (RTs) during the approach cannabis trials will be subtracted from the mean avoid cannabis trial RTs. These scores are then divided by the SD across all cannabis trials. Positive scores indicate an approach bias for cannabis stimuli.	Baseline, One-Week Follow-up, and Three-Month Follow-up
Change Cannabis Approach Bias (D-Score)	D scores will be calculated for each participant at baseline, posttest, and three-month follow-up. Participants' mean reaction times (RTs) during the approach alcohol trials will be subtracted from the mean avoid alcohol trial RTs. These scores are then divided by the SD across all alcohol trials. Positive scores indicate an approach bias for alcohol stimuli.	Baseline, One-Week Follow-up, and Three-Month Follow-up

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Medical University of South Carolina
• Collaborators: National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): January 25, 2023
• Primary Completion (Estimated): September 30, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): October 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: August 1, 2022
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 2, 2022
• First Posted (Actual): August 3, 2022

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): August 13, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 11, 2026
• Last Verified: August 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Chemically-Induced Disorders; Drinking Behavior; Behavior; Alcohol Drinking; Substance-Related Disorders
• Other Study ID Numbers: 00106723; 1K23DA050800-01A1 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No