CravingNCT07157124
Examining the Effectiveness of Dynamic Visual Noise (DVN) for Reducing Alcohol Cravings and Consumption in College Students
A study testing Dynamic Visual Noise (DVN) and Static Visual Noise (SVN) in people with Craving and Alcohol Drinking, run by University of Wyoming at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
The goal of this clinical trial is to examine whether dynamic visual noise (DVN), a short video array of rapidly moving black and white squares, reduces cravings for and consumption of alcohol in college students who drink alcohol and experience cravings for alcohol at least once a week on average. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 29 years
- Conditions the study is for
- Craving, Alcohol Drinking
- What is being tested?
- Dynamic Visual Noise (DVN) and Static Visual Noise (SVN)
- Could I receive a placebo?
- Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
- How many people
- 62 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 22 Sep 2025to Sep 2026
- 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 29 years
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- Must report being between the age of 18 and 29
- Must report drinking alcohol at least once per week on average over the past month
- Must report having drank beer or alcoholic seltzers in the past month
- Must endorse experiencing craving at least once per week over the past month, on average
- Must report not currently receiving nor planning to seek any other treatment for their alcohol use within the next 30 days
- Must report owning a personal electronic device with access to the Internet
- Must report owning or having access to a computer with access to the Internet
Who cannot join
- Major visual impairment (i.e., legal blindness or color blindness)
- History of seizures and/or diagnosed seizure disorder
- Current medical diagnosis provided by a qualified professional (i.e., psychologist, psychiatrist, neurologist) that is characterized by cognitive impairment (i.e., neurocognitive disorder due to traumatic brain injury, traumatic brain injury, HIV infection, post-concussive syndrome, and intellectual disability)
- Concussion in the past month
- A current diagnosis of any substance use disorder besides alcohol use disorder, as determined by a qualified professional (i.e., psychologist, psychiatrist)
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
Alison Looby, PhD contact
United States1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
University of Wyoming
Laramie, Wyoming, 82072
Emma L Winterlind, MPS, 307-314-2177, ewinterl@uwyo.edu
Alison Looby, PhD, alooby@uwyo.edu
About this study
Official title: A Theory-Informed Examination of a Brief Visuospatial Intervention and Its Mechanisms for Reducing Alcohol Cravings and Consumption
The goal of this clinical trial is to examine whether dynamic visual noise (DVN), a short video array of rapidly moving black and white squares, reduces cravings for and consumption of alcohol in college students who drink alcohol and experience cravings for alcohol at least once a week on average. A second goal of this clinical trial is to examine whether changes in attentional bias towards alcohol (that is, the tendency to pay greater mental and visual attention towards alcohol over other things in one's environment) is a mechanism by which DVN reduces alcohol cravings and consumption.
Researchers will compare DVN to static visual noise (SVN), which is a still image of black and white squares that has been used as a control condition for DVN in prior literature.
Read more
Participants will:
- Visit the laboratory once to complete the baseline data collection
- Watch the DVN or SVN every day for seven days (including the day of the laboratory visit)
- Complete daily follow-ups for six days following the day of the laboratory visit
- Complete a final follow-up on the seventh day following the laboratory visit
- Conditions
- Craving, Alcohol Drinking
- Being tested
- Dynamic Visual Noise (DVN), Static Visual Noise (SVN)
- Keywords
- alcohol craving, dynamic visual noise, alcohol consumption, attentional bias, craving, alcohol, DVN, static visual noise, SVN
- Medical subject headings
- Alcohol Drinking
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Dynamic Visual Noise (DVN)Other
DVN is a brief visual array of patterns of flickering black and white dots. In alignment with prior literature, the DVN array will consist of an 80 x 80 grid of 4 x 4 black and white pixel squares that will change at a rate of 640 frames per second. The DVN will be 30 seconds in duration, though participants will be able to keep watching for as long as desired by restarting the video of the array.
Static Visual Noise (SVN)Other
SVN is similar to DVN, but refers to a static (or still) image of an array of black and white squares. The SVN will consist of an 80 x 80 grid of 4 x 4 black and white pixel squares. SVN has been used in previous working memory-loading studies as a control for DVN. Similar to the DVN, participants in the control group will view the SVN for at least 30 seconds (but they will be able to keep viewing it for as long as desired).
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Dynamic Visual Noise (DVN) | Experimental | Not described Receives: Other: Dynamic Visual Noise (DVN) |
| Static Visual Noise (SVN) | Sham comparator | Not described Receives: Other: Static Visual Noise (SVN) |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Strength of Alcohol Craving
Strength of alcohol craving will be measured using the Craving Experiences Questionnaire - Strength (CEQ-S). The measure inquires about the individual's past-week craving experiences. Higher average scores indicate stronger past-week cravings. Changes in mean craving will be calculated as changes in mean strength of past-week alcohol craving at follow-up relative to baseline for each condition.
Measured: Baseline and 1-week follow-up
Frequency of Craving
Frequency of alcohol craving will be measured using the Craving Experiences Questionnaire - Frequency (CEQ-F). The measure inquires about the individual's past-week craving experiences. Higher average scores indicate more frequent past-week craving. Changes will be calculated as changes in mean frequency of past-week alcohol craving at follow-up relative to baseline for each condition.
Measured: Baseline and 1-week follow-up
Alcohol Consumption
At baseline and follow-up, participants will complete the Daily Drinking Questionnaire (DDQ) to indicate the extent of their past-week alcohol consumption. Higher total scores indicate more past-week alcohol consumption. Changes will be calculated as changes in mean past-week alcohol use at follow-up relative to baseline for each condition.
Measured: Baseline and 1-week follow-up
Attentional Bias towards Alcohol
Attentional bias will be measured at the initial laboratory session and at the 1-week final follow-up via the Alcohol Visual Probe task. Changes will be examined as mean changes in reaction time at follow-up minus reaction time at baseline for each condition.
Measured: Baseline and 1-week follow-up
Secondary outcomes (2)
Immediate Changes in Strength of Alcohol Craving Before and After DVN/SVN Task
Participants will view their assigned intervention (i.e., DVN or SVN) as part of the initial baseline visit. Participants will first undergo a craving induction paradigm. Participants will then complete the CEQ-Strength-Now (CEQ-S-N) to indicate the strength of their current craving. Then, participants will view the DVN or SVN (depending on their assigned condition). After viewing the task, participants will complete the CEQ-S-N again. Higher average scores on the CEQ-S-N indicate stronger current moment cravings. Immediate changes in craving will be calculated as the average CEQ-S-N score before viewing the task minus average CEQ-S-N score after viewing the task. A mean change score will be calculated for each condition.
Measured: Baseline
Immediate Changes in Strength of Craving Before and After DVN/SVN
During the intervention phase, participants will be able to freely access their assigned intervention whenever they experience a craving. When they access the intervention, participants will first be asked to indicate, using a 0-100 Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), the strength of their current cravings for alcohol (i.e., "How strong is your craving for alcohol RIGHT NOW?"). They will then view their assigned intervention for at least 30 seconds. Immediately after viewing their intervention, they will complete the same VAS item. The change score will be calculated as the craving score before viewing minus the craving score after each viewing. A mean change score will be calculated for each condition.
Measured: 1-Week Intervention Period, Between Baseline Visit and 1-week Follow-Up
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted5 Sep 2025
- Study start22 Sep 2025
- Primary completionSep 2026 (estimated)
- Study completionSep 2026 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for CravingStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
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
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- Participants will be block randomized by sex into one of the two arms.
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 62 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of Wyoming
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Emma Winterlind, University of Wyoming
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07157124
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- IRB-2025-162
- Status last verified
- Dec 2025
- First submitted
- 21 Aug 2025
- Last updated
- 29 Dec 2025
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 29 Dec 2025. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- A Theory-Informed Examination of a Brief Visuospatial Intervention and Its Mechanisms for Reducing Alcohol Cravings and Consumption
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07157124
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- IRB-2025-162
- Conditions
- Craving, Alcohol Drinking
- Keywords
- alcohol craving, dynamic visual noise, alcohol consumption, attentional bias, craving, alcohol, DVN, static visual noise
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 62 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- University of WyomingUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 22 Sep 2025 (actual)
- Primary completion
- Sep 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion
- Sep 2026 (estimated)
- First posted
- 5 Sep 2025 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The goal of this clinical trial is to examine whether dynamic visual noise (DVN), a short video array of rapidly moving black and white squares, reduces cravings for and consumption of alcohol in college students who drink alcohol and experience cravings for alcohol at least once a week on average. A second goal of this clinical trial is to examine whether changes in attentional bias towards alcohol (that is, the tendency to pay greater mental and visual attention towards alcohol over other things in one's environment) is a mechanism by which DVN reduces alcohol cravings and consumption.
Researchers will compare DVN to static visual noise (SVN), which is a still image of black and white squares that has been used as a control condition for DVN in prior literature.
Participants will:
- Visit the laboratory once to complete the baseline data collection
- Watch the DVN or SVN every day for seven days (including the day of the laboratory visit)
- Complete daily follow-ups for six days following the day of the laboratory visit
- Complete a final follow-up on the seventh day following the laboratory visit
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
- Model description
- Participants will be block randomized by sex into one of the two arms.
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Dynamic Visual Noise (DVN) | Experimental | Other: Dynamic Visual Noise (DVN) |
| Static Visual Noise (SVN) | Sham comparator | Other: Static Visual Noise (SVN) |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 29 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (7 listed)
- Must report being between the age of 18 and 29
- Must report drinking alcohol at least once per week on average over the past month
- Must report having drank beer or alcoholic seltzers in the past month
- Must endorse experiencing craving at least once per week over the past month, on average
- Must report not currently receiving nor planning to seek any other treatment for their alcohol use within the next 30 days
Key exclusion criteria (5 listed)
- Major visual impairment (i.e., legal blindness or color blindness)
- History of seizures and/or diagnosed seizure disorder
- Current medical diagnosis provided by a qualified professional (i.e., psychologist, psychiatrist, neurologist) that is characterized by cognitive impairment (i.e., neurocognitive disorder due to traumatic brain injury, traumatic brain injury, HIV infection, post-concussive syndrome, and intellectual disability)
- Concussion in the past month
- A current diagnosis of any substance use disorder besides alcohol use disorder, as determined by a qualified professional (i.e., psychologist, psychiatrist)
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Dynamic Visual Noise (DVN)DVN is a brief visual array of patterns of flickering black and white dots. In alignment with prior literature, the DVN array will consist of an 80 x 80 grid of 4 x 4 black and white pixel squares that will change at a rate of 640 frames per second. The DVN will be 30 seconds in duration, though participants will be able to keep watching for as long as desired by restarting the video of the array. | Other | Dynamic Visual Noise (DVN) |
| Static Visual Noise (SVN)SVN is similar to DVN, but refers to a static (or still) image of an array of black and white squares. The SVN will consist of an 80 x 80 grid of 4 x 4 black and white pixel squares. SVN has been used in previous working memory-loading studies as a control for DVN. Similar to the DVN, participants in the control group will view the SVN for at least 30 seconds (but they will be able to keep viewing it for as long as desired). | Other | Static Visual Noise (SVN) |
Primary outcome
Strength of Alcohol Craving
Time frame: Baseline and 1-week follow-up
Strength of alcohol craving will be measured using the Craving Experiences Questionnaire - Strength (CEQ-S). The measure inquires about the individual's past-week craving experiences. Higher average scores indicate stronger past-week cravings. Changes in mean craving will be calculated as changes in mean strength of past-week alcohol craving at follow-up relative to baseline for each condition.
Frequency of Craving
Time frame: Baseline and 1-week follow-up
Frequency of alcohol craving will be measured using the Craving Experiences Questionnaire - Frequency (CEQ-F). The measure inquires about the individual's past-week craving experiences. Higher average scores indicate more frequent past-week craving. Changes will be calculated as changes in mean frequency of past-week alcohol craving at follow-up relative to baseline for each condition.
Alcohol Consumption
Time frame: Baseline and 1-week follow-up
At baseline and follow-up, participants will complete the Daily Drinking Questionnaire (DDQ) to indicate the extent of their past-week alcohol consumption. Higher total scores indicate more past-week alcohol consumption. Changes will be calculated as changes in mean past-week alcohol use at follow-up relative to baseline for each condition.
Attentional Bias towards Alcohol
Time frame: Baseline and 1-week follow-up
Attentional bias will be measured at the initial laboratory session and at the 1-week final follow-up via the Alcohol Visual Probe task. Changes will be examined as mean changes in reaction time at follow-up minus reaction time at baseline for each condition.
2 secondary outcomes
Immediate Changes in Strength of Alcohol Craving Before and After DVN/SVN Task
Time frame: Baseline
Immediate Changes in Strength of Craving Before and After DVN/SVN
Time frame: 1-Week Intervention Period, Between Baseline Visit and 1-week Follow-Up
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 29 Dec 2025.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
Alison Looby, PhD contact
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Dynamic Visual Noise (DVN) and Static Visual Noise (SVN) in people with Craving and Alcohol Drinking, run by University of Wyoming 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 7 inclusion and 5 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 29 Dec 2025. 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 Emma Winterlind, MPS (307-314-2177, ewinterl@uwyo.edu), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Strength of Alcohol Craving (time frame: Baseline and 1-week follow-up). The study lists 4 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 29 Dec 2025.