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Alcohol Use DisorderNCT05062369

Tdcs And cogNitive traininG cOmbined for AUD (TANGO)

A study testing TaskFlow Transcranial Electrical Stimulation device and Executive Function Focused Cognitive Training in people with Alcohol Use Disorder and Addiction, run by University of Minnesota at 1 site in United States.

Recruiting

Looking for participants now. Contact the study team or a site below to ask about taking part.

Sites and contacts
Official record
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Trial summary

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… Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 65 years
Conditions the study is for
Alcohol Use Disorder, Addiction
What is being tested?
TaskFlow Transcranial Electrical Stimulation device and Executive Function Focused Cognitive Training
Could I receive a placebo?
Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
How many people
40 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
3 Mar 2022to 30 Sep 2027
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
Not yet: the study is under way

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 to 65 years
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • 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 join

  • Any medical condition or treatment with neurological sequelae (i.e. stroke, tumor, loss of consciousness>30 min, HIV)
  • A head injury resulting in a skull fracture or a loss of consciousness exceeding 30 minutes (i.e., moderate or severe TBI)
  • 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
Show all 9Show fewer
  • Clinical evidence for Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome
  • Left-handedness
  • Entrance to the treatment program under a court mandate

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.

Jazmin Camchong, PhD contact

(612) 842-8704

camch002@umn.edu

Clarista Berg contact

berg2920@umn.edu

United States1 site, 1 recruiting
  • University of Minnesota

    Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55414

    Recruiting

Other trials in United States

About this study

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.

Being tested
TaskFlow Transcranial Electrical Stimulation device, Executive Function Focused Cognitive Training
Medical subject headings
Alcoholism, Behavior, Addictive

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • TaskFlow Transcranial Electrical Stimulation deviceDevice

    Also called Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS), TaskFlow-TES

    The TaskFlow Transcranial Electrical Stimulation device (TaskFlow-TES) is a custom brain stimulation device developed in-house at the University of Minnesota. Each tDCS intervention will last 20 minutes of either (i) 10 active (2-mA) or (ii) 5 active and 5 sham transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the course of 10 treatment sessions.

  • Executive Function Focused Cognitive TrainingBehavioural

    Working memory focused training occurs on a computer and consists of a variety of exercises selected to (i) place demands on the executive and storage functions of working memory (ii) adapt to challenge the participant's current ability level, (iii) provide ongoing feedback, and (iv) present novel stimuli across verbal, visual and spatial modalities. Training tasks are developed in-house. Tasks for each participant are delivered from and responses, audio, and video are stored on the HST server. The aim of using multiple tasks that require executive functions is to engage brain network functional connectivity in a number of different ways to promote generalization. Investigators will monitor each participant's training and customize the intervention to balance challenge and engagement. In addition, pre- and post-intervention, participants will perform 4-minute versions of a word and a spatial 3-back task identical across all weeks (but differing from the assessment versions).

Study groups in NCT05062369
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Participants receiving active transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)ExperimentalParticipants 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.
Receives: Device: TaskFlow Transcranial Electrical Stimulation device; Behavioral: Executive Function Focused Cognitive Training
Participants receiving active and sham active transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)Sham comparatorParticipants 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.
Receives: Device: TaskFlow Transcranial Electrical Stimulation device; Behavioral: Executive Function Focused Cognitive Training

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Difference in Timeline Followback Questionnaire relapse rates

    The Timeline Followback Questionnaire will be used to assess relapse status as a binary, (has or has not relapsed), at 1, 2, 3, and 4 months over the follow-up period. This is a measure of feasibility.

    Measured: Up to 4 months post-intervention

  2. Difference in Timeline Followback Questionnaire abstinence period length

    The Timeline Followback Questionnaire will be used to assess length of abstinence period measured in days at 1, 2, 3 and 4 months over the follow-up period. This is a measure of feasibility.

    Measured: Up to 4 months post-intervention

  3. Change in D-KEFS Trail Making (1-5) score

    The D-KEFS Trail Making (1-5) assessment will be used as a measure of cognitive performance pre- and post-intervention. Additionally, as a measure of generalization and durability, the D-KEFS Trail Making score will be assessed pre-intervention, mid-intervention, post-intervention, and at monthly follow-up visits. The assessment is scored on a scale of 1-19, where higher scores indicate higher cognitive functioning. The unitless average difference will be reported.

    Measured: Up to 4 months post-intervention

  4. Change in D-KEFS Color Word score

    The D-KEFS Color-Word Interference assessment will be used as a measure of cognitive performance pre- and post-intervention. Additionally, as a measure of generalization and durability, the D-KEFS Color Word score will be assessed pre-intervention, mid-intervention, post-intervention, and at monthly follow-up visits. The assessment is scored on a scale of 1-19, where higher scores indicate higher cognitive functioning. The unitless average difference will be reported.

    Measured: Up to 4 months post-intervention

  5. Change in Digit Span (WAIS IV) score

    The Digit Span (WAIS IV) assessment will be used as a measure of cognitive performance pre- and post-intervention. Additionally, as a measure of generalization and durability, the Digit Span (WAIS) score will be assessed pre-intervention, mid-intervention, post-intervention, and at monthly follow-up visits. The assessment is scored on a scale of 1-19, where higher scores indicate higher cognitive functioning. The unitless average difference will be reported.

    Measured: Up to 4 months post-intervention

  6. Change in D-KEFS Verbal Frequency score

    The D-KEFS Verbal Frequency assessment will be used as a measure of cognitive performance pre- and post-intervention. Additionally, as a measure of generalization and durability, the D-KEFS Verbal Frequency score will be assessed pre-intervention, mid-intervention, post-intervention, and at monthly follow-up visits. The assessment is scored on a scale of 1-19, where higher scores indicate higher cognitive functioning. The unitless average difference will be reported.

    Measured: Up to 4 months post-intervention

  7. Change in Digit Symbol (WAIS IV) score

    The Digit Symbol (WAIS IV) assessment, also known as Coding, will be used as a measure of cognitive performance pre- and post-intervention. Additionally, as a measure of generalization and durability, the Digit Symbol (WAIS) score will be assessed pre-intervention, mid-intervention, post-intervention, and at monthly follow-up visits. The assessment is scored on a scale of 1-19, where higher scores indicate higher cognitive functioning. The unitless average difference will be reported.

    Measured: Up to 4 months post-intervention

  8. Change in functional connectivity

    Participants will undergo MRI at rest and fMRI scan while conducting the N-back task pre-intervention, mid-intervention, after 10 tDCS interventions, and post-intervention. The unitless average difference will be reported.

    Measured: Day 3, Day 9, Day 17, and 1 month

  9. Change in task-evoked functional magnetic resonance signal

    Participants will undergo MRI at rest and fMRI scan while conducting the N-back task pre-intervention, mid-intervention, after 10 tDCS interventions, and post-intervention. The unitless average difference will be reported.

    Measured: Day 3, Day 9, Day 17, and 1 month

  10. Number of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) sessions completed

    The number of tDCS sessions completed will be reported as a unitless average value as a measure of feasibility.

    Measured: Days 4-16

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted30 Sep 2021
  2. Study start3 Mar 2022
  3. Primary completion30 Sep 2027 (estimated)
  4. Study completion30 Sep 2027 (estimated)

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
Triple blind
Who is masked
Participant, Investigator, Outcomes assessor
Enrolment
40 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT05062369
Sponsor's protocol ID
STUDY00013676
Status last verified
Oct 2026
First submitted
21 Sep 2021
Last updated
7 Oct 2026
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
Yes
Individual data sharing
No

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing TaskFlow Transcranial Electrical Stimulation device and Executive Function Focused Cognitive Training in people with Alcohol Use Disorder and Addiction, run by University of Minnesota at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 3 inclusion and 9 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 7 Oct 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. Some participants in this study may receive a placebo. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

Contact Jazmin Camchong, PhD ((612) 842-8704, camch002@umn.edu), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Difference in Timeline Followback Questionnaire relapse rates (time frame: Up to 4 months post-intervention). The study lists 10 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 7 Oct 2026.

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