MBItDCS: Mindfulness-Based Intervention and Transcranial Direct Current Brain Stimulation to Reduce Heavy Drinking

Sponsor
University of New Mexico (Other)
Overall Status
Completed
CT.gov ID
NCT02861807
Collaborator
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) (NIH)
84
1
2
21.1
4

Study Details

Study Description

Brief Summary

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) impacts millions of Americans and is associated with significant behavioral, social, economic, medical, and neurobiological dysfunction, yet current behavioral treatments for AUD are only modestly effective. The proposed research will test the efficacy of a novel behavioral intervention, which combines brain stimulation with mindfulness-based relapse prevention, and is hypothesized to improve neural dysfunction and ultimately lead to large effect size reductions in heavy drinking among individuals with AUD. Given that mindfulness and brain stimulation are already available for "home use" there is great potential for the ultimate dissemination of the intervention on a large scale, which could have a significant impact on public health.

Condition or Disease Intervention/Treatment Phase
  • Device: Brain stimulation with mindfulness-based relapse prevention
N/A

Detailed Description

Heavy drinking (defined as 4+/5+ drinks per occasion for women/men) and alcohol use disorder (AUD) are a significant public health problem. Modestly effective pharmacological and psychosocial treatments for AUD exist, yet some heavy drinking (i.e., relapse) is the most common outcome following AUD treatment. Continued development of innovative and efficacious interventions that reduce heavy drinking and specifically target risk factors for heavy drinking is thus clearly warranted. One novel intervention that has considerable promise for reducing heavy drinking is mindfulness-based relapse prevention (MBRP). MBRP is a behavioral intervention for substance use disorder that was designed to target experiences of craving and other risk factors for heavy drinking. Based on the results of numerous studies, MBRP is feasible and efficacious in the treatment of AUD. However the effect sizes of MBRP remain small and many individuals struggle with engaging in the mindfulness practices early in treatment. There is preliminary evidence that combining a non-invasive form of brain stimulation, transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), may improve engagement with mindfulness practices and lead to significant reductions in heavy drinking following treatment. The goal of the proposed study is to examine the efficacy of a mindfulness + tDCS intervention in reducing heavy drinking and impacting hypothesized mechanisms of behavior change among individuals with AUD who are interested in reducing their heavy drinking. In the proposed study, a research team with complementary expertise in AUD treatment, mindfulness-based interventions, brain stimulation, and cognitive neuroscience will combine self-report, behavioral, and neurophysiological data collection via electroencephalography (EEG) to study the psychological and neurophysiological mechanisms of treatment efficacy following a novel, promising intervention that combines brain stimulation with mindfulness training. The mindfulness based intervention in combination with active tDCS is hypothesized to lead to significant reductions in drinks per drinking day after 8 weeks of treatment and these reductions will be maintained up to 2 months following treatment. Further, the effect of active tDCS on drinks per drinking day at the 2 month follow-up will be mediated by greater mindfulness, greater inhibitory control and reductions in craving and negative affect during treatment and at the post-treatment assessment. Approximately 86 individuals meeting criteria for AUD will be randomly assigned to 8 sessions of either MBRP combined with active tDCS (up to 2.0 milliamp current) or MBRP combined with a sham tDCS (no current) control condition. The proposed study will examine the efficacy (Primary Aim) and psychological and neurophysiological mechanisms of treatment efficacy using behavioral measures and EEG (Secondary Aim). In addition to addressing the question of whether adding active tDCS to MBRP enhances efficacy, it will further examine issues of neurophysiological and behavioral treatment mechanisms to better inform the design of a future large efficacy trial.

Study Design

Study Type:
Interventional
Actual Enrollment :
84 participants
Allocation:
Randomized
Intervention Model:
Parallel Assignment
Masking:
Quadruple (Participant, Care Provider, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Masking Description:
Double blind
Primary Purpose:
Treatment
Official Title:
Mindfulness-Based Intervention and Transcranial Direct Current Brain Stimulation to Reduce Heavy Drinking: Efficacy and Mechanisms of Change
Actual Study Start Date :
Nov 22, 2016
Actual Primary Completion Date :
Aug 27, 2018
Actual Study Completion Date :
Aug 27, 2018

Arms and Interventions

Arm Intervention/Treatment
Experimental: Active stimulation with mindfulness

Brain stimulation with mindfulness-based relapse prevention. Treatment sessions will be 2 hours for 8 sessions, with the first 30 minutes consisting of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) with the current set to 2.0 milliamps (mA) and guided meditation practice.

Device: Brain stimulation with mindfulness-based relapse prevention
Participants will participate in weekly or twice weekly group mindfulness based relapse prevention (MBRP) + transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) intervention sessions for up to eight weeks. All participants will receive 8 two hour sessions of MBRP + tDCS, regardless of the group schedule. Subjects will receive 30 minutes of either active or sham tDCS stimulation, depending on their group assignment. After tDCS, sessions will include discussions of mindfulness as a means of coping with craving, cognitions, and emotions, role play exercises, and mindfulness practice.

Sham Comparator: Sham brain stimulation with mindfulness

Brain stimulation with mindfulness-based relapse prevention. Treatment sessions will be 2 hours for 8 sessions, with the first 30 minutes consisting of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) with the current set to ramp up to 2.0 milliamps (mA) and then ramp down to 0.0 mA and guided meditation practice.

Device: Brain stimulation with mindfulness-based relapse prevention
Participants will participate in weekly or twice weekly group mindfulness based relapse prevention (MBRP) + transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) intervention sessions for up to eight weeks. All participants will receive 8 two hour sessions of MBRP + tDCS, regardless of the group schedule. Subjects will receive 30 minutes of either active or sham tDCS stimulation, depending on their group assignment. After tDCS, sessions will include discussions of mindfulness as a means of coping with craving, cognitions, and emotions, role play exercises, and mindfulness practice.

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

  1. Drinks Per Drinking Day [Post-treatment and 2-month follow-up]

    The Form 90 will be used to derive estimates of the primary outcome: drinks (standard drink=14 grams of pure alcohol) per drinking day.

Secondary Outcome Measures

  1. Percent Heavy Drinking Days [Post-treatment and 2-month follow-up]

    The Form 90 will be used to derive estimates of the secondary outcome: percent heavy drinking days, where heavy drinking is defined as 4+ drinks per occasion for women and 5+ drinks per occasion for men.

Other Outcome Measures

  1. Cue Reactivity at the Post-Treatment Assessment [Post-treatment]

    To measure cue reactivity to alcohol, the investigators will use a visual cue presentation task. Participants will view pictures of alcohol containing beverages and neutral pictures from the International Affective Pictures Series (IAPS)118 and from the web. Alcohol and neutral pictures will be matched for color and complexity as well as other potentially important confounds (e.g., presence of people). The investigators will examine responses to approximately 100 trials each of alcohol pictures and control pictures in a mixed event design (~15 minutes), in order to reduce predictability of the picture type. After viewing pictures participants reported craving for alcohol on a scale from 1 to 9 (1=no craving, 9=extreme craving) with higher scores indicating worse outcomes.

  2. Reductions in Self-reported Craving [2 months following treatment]

    Self-reported craving will be measured using the Penn Alcohol Craving Scale (scaled from 0 to 5 with higher scores indicate worse outcome = more craving) with higher scores mean a worse outcome.

  3. Improvements in Inhibitory Control [Post-treatment]

    To examine inhibitory control, the investigators will use a Stop Signal Task in which participants make left-right judgments of the directionality of an arrow presented on the screen. For each trial, a circle will appear for 500 ms, followed by a left or right-pointing arrow for up to 1 second and between 500 ms and 2500 ms jittered inter-trial interval to reduce anticipatory responses. Approximately 25% of trials will be "stop trials" with a tone played to signal participants to inhibit the current response. This timing of the tone is dynamically adjusted to ensure successful inhibition on approximately 50% of trials. There will be 240 trials across 6 blocks (~10 minutes). Inhibitory control is measured by stop signal reaction time.

Eligibility Criteria

Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study:
18 Years and Older
Sexes Eligible for Study:
All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
No
Inclusion Criteria:
  1. interested in reducing alcohol drinking

  2. right-handed

Exclusion Criteria:
  1. lifetime diagnosis of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder or current substance use disorder other than nicotine or marijuana

  2. cardiac pacemaker

  3. implantable defibrillator

  4. metal objects in upper body that might interfere with tDCS, or that tDCS may interfere with their function, including metal plates, screws and prosthetics in head, certain older tattoos and permanent makeup using metal containing inks, aneurysm clips, neural stimulators of any kind, ear implants, insulin pumps, drug infusion devices and dental appliances

  5. for females, pregnant or attempting to get pregnant

  6. history of seizures or seizure disorder

  7. allergic to latex, rubber, conductive medium like saline or electrode gel

  8. if assigned to active tDCS and unable to tolerate 1.5 mA of tDCS during a baseline stimulation session

Contacts and Locations

Locations

Site City State Country Postal Code
1 University of New Mexico Psychology Clinical Neuroscience Center Albuquerque New Mexico United States 87131

Sponsors and Collaborators

  • University of New Mexico
  • National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

Investigators

None specified.

Study Documents (Full-Text)

More Information

Additional Information:

Publications

None provided.
Responsible Party:
University of New Mexico
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
NCT02861807
Other Study ID Numbers:
  • 04316
  • R21AA024926
First Posted:
Aug 10, 2016
Last Update Posted:
Feb 5, 2020
Last Verified:
Nov 1, 2019
Individual Participant Data (IPD) Sharing Statement:
Yes
Plan to Share IPD:
Yes
Additional relevant MeSH terms:

Study Results

Participant Flow

Recruitment Details
Pre-assignment Detail
Arm/Group Title Active Stimulation With Mindfulness Sham Brain Stimulation With Mindfulness
Arm/Group Description Brain stimulation with mindfulness-based relapse prevention. Treatment sessions will be 2 hours for 8 sessions, with the first 30 minutes consisting of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) with the current set to 2.0 milliamps (mA) and guided meditation practice. Brain stimulation with mindfulness-based relapse prevention: Participants will participate in weekly or twice weekly group mindfulness based relapse prevention (MBRP) + transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) intervention sessions for up to eight weeks. All participants will receive 8 two hour sessions of MBRP + tDCS, regardless of the group schedule. Subjects will receive 30 minutes of either active or sham tDCS stimulation, depending on their group assignment. After tDCS, sessions will include discussions of mindfulness as a means of coping with craving, cognitions, and emotions, role play exercises, and mindfulness practice. Brain stimulation with mindfulness-based relapse prevention. Treatment sessions will be 2 hours for 8 sessions, with the first 30 minutes consisting of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) with the current set to ramp up to 2.0 milliamps (mA) and then ramp down to 0.0 mA and guided meditation practice. Brain stimulation with mindfulness-based relapse prevention: Participants will participate in weekly or twice weekly group mindfulness based relapse prevention (MBRP) + transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) intervention sessions for up to eight weeks. All participants will receive 8 two hour sessions of MBRP + tDCS, regardless of the group schedule. Subjects will receive 30 minutes of either active or sham tDCS stimulation, depending on their group assignment. After tDCS, sessions will include discussions of mindfulness as a means of coping with craving, cognitions, and emotions, role play exercises, and mindfulness practice.
Period Title: Overall Study
STARTED 47 37
Attended Post-treatment Assessment 34 18
Attended 2-month Follow-up 32 20
COMPLETED 35 23
NOT COMPLETED 12 14

Baseline Characteristics

Arm/Group Title Active Stimulation With Mindfulness Sham Brain Stimulation With Mindfulness Total
Arm/Group Description Brain stimulation with mindfulness-based relapse prevention. Treatment sessions will be 2 hours for 8 sessions, with the first 30 minutes consisting of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) with the current set to 2.0 milliamps (mA) and guided meditation practice. Brain stimulation with mindfulness-based relapse prevention: Participants will participate in weekly or twice weekly group mindfulness based relapse prevention (MBRP) + transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) intervention sessions for up to eight weeks. All participants will receive 8 two hour sessions of MBRP + tDCS, regardless of the group schedule. Subjects will receive 30 minutes of either active or sham tDCS stimulation, depending on their group assignment. After tDCS, sessions will include discussions of mindfulness as a means of coping with craving, cognitions, and emotions, role play exercises, and mindfulness practice. Brain stimulation with mindfulness-based relapse prevention. Treatment sessions will be 2 hours for 8 sessions, with the first 30 minutes consisting of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) with the current set to ramp up to 2.0 milliamps (mA) and then ramp down to 0.0 mA and guided meditation practice. Brain stimulation with mindfulness-based relapse prevention: Participants will participate in weekly or twice weekly group mindfulness based relapse prevention (MBRP) + transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) intervention sessions for up to eight weeks. All participants will receive 8 two hour sessions of MBRP + tDCS, regardless of the group schedule. Subjects will receive 30 minutes of either active or sham tDCS stimulation, depending on their group assignment. After tDCS, sessions will include discussions of mindfulness as a means of coping with craving, cognitions, and emotions, role play exercises, and mindfulness practice. Total of all reporting groups
Overall Participants 47 37 84
Age (Count of Participants)
<=18 years
0
0%
0
0%
0
0%
Between 18 and 65 years
41
87.2%
33
89.2%
74
88.1%
>=65 years
6
12.8%
4
10.8%
10
11.9%
Age (years) [Mean (Standard Deviation) ]
Mean (Standard Deviation) [years]
51.43
(14.19)
53.35
(11.41)
52.27
(13.00)
Sex: Female, Male (Count of Participants)
Female
19
40.4%
15
40.5%
34
40.5%
Male
28
59.6%
22
59.5%
50
59.5%
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB) (Count of Participants)
Hispanic or Latino
16
34%
16
43.2%
32
38.1%
Not Hispanic or Latino
31
66%
21
56.8%
52
61.9%
Unknown or Not Reported
0
0%
0
0%
0
0%
Race (NIH/OMB) (Count of Participants)
American Indian or Alaska Native
4
8.5%
3
8.1%
7
8.3%
Asian
0
0%
0
0%
0
0%
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
0
0%
0
0%
0
0%
Black or African American
2
4.3%
3
8.1%
5
6%
White
32
68.1%
22
59.5%
54
64.3%
More than one race
2
4.3%
1
2.7%
3
3.6%
Unknown or Not Reported
7
14.9%
8
21.6%
15
17.9%
Region of Enrollment (participants) [Number]
United States
47
100%
37
100%
84
100%
Drinks per Drinking Occasion (drinks per drinking occasion) [Mean (Standard Deviation) ]
Mean (Standard Deviation) [drinks per drinking occasion]
6.64
(3.54)
6.92
(4.35)
6.76
(3.90)

Outcome Measures

1. Primary Outcome
Title Drinks Per Drinking Day
Description The Form 90 will be used to derive estimates of the primary outcome: drinks (standard drink=14 grams of pure alcohol) per drinking day.
Time Frame Post-treatment and 2-month follow-up

Outcome Measure Data

Analysis Population Description
[Not Specified]
Arm/Group Title Active Stimulation With Mindfulness Sham Brain Stimulation With Mindfulness
Arm/Group Description Brain stimulation with mindfulness-based relapse prevention. Treatment sessions will be 2 hours for 8 sessions, with the first 30 minutes consisting of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) with the current set to 2.0 milliamps (mA) and guided meditation practice. Brain stimulation with mindfulness-based relapse prevention: Participants will participate in weekly or twice weekly group mindfulness based relapse prevention (MBRP) + transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) intervention sessions for up to eight weeks. All participants will receive 8 two hour sessions of MBRP + tDCS, regardless of the group schedule. Subjects will receive 30 minutes of either active or sham tDCS stimulation, depending on their group assignment. After tDCS, sessions will include discussions of mindfulness as a means of coping with craving, cognitions, and emotions, role play exercises, and mindfulness practice. Brain stimulation with mindfulness-based relapse prevention. Treatment sessions will be 2 hours for 8 sessions, with the first 30 minutes consisting of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) with the current set to ramp up to 2.0 milliamps (mA) and then ramp down to 0.0 mA and guided meditation practice. Brain stimulation with mindfulness-based relapse prevention: Participants will participate in weekly or twice weekly group mindfulness based relapse prevention (MBRP) + transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) intervention sessions for up to eight weeks. All participants will receive 8 two hour sessions of MBRP + tDCS, regardless of the group schedule. Subjects will receive 30 minutes of either active or sham tDCS stimulation, depending on their group assignment. After tDCS, sessions will include discussions of mindfulness as a means of coping with craving, cognitions, and emotions, role play exercises, and mindfulness practice.
Measure Participants 35 23
Post-treatment assessment
5.12
(3.14)
5.64
(4.06)
2-month follow-up
4.95
(3.18)
5.48
(4.28)
2. Secondary Outcome
Title Percent Heavy Drinking Days
Description The Form 90 will be used to derive estimates of the secondary outcome: percent heavy drinking days, where heavy drinking is defined as 4+ drinks per occasion for women and 5+ drinks per occasion for men.
Time Frame Post-treatment and 2-month follow-up

Outcome Measure Data

Analysis Population Description
[Not Specified]
Arm/Group Title Active Stimulation With Mindfulness Sham Brain Stimulation With Mindfulness
Arm/Group Description Brain stimulation with mindfulness-based relapse prevention. Treatment sessions will be 2 hours for 8 sessions, with the first 30 minutes consisting of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) with the current set to 2.0 milliamps (mA) and guided meditation practice. Brain stimulation with mindfulness-based relapse prevention: Participants will participate in weekly or twice weekly group mindfulness based relapse prevention (MBRP) + transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) intervention sessions for up to eight weeks. All participants will receive 8 two hour sessions of MBRP + tDCS, regardless of the group schedule. Subjects will receive 30 minutes of either active or sham tDCS stimulation, depending on their group assignment. After tDCS, sessions will include discussions of mindfulness as a means of coping with craving, cognitions, and emotions, role play exercises, and mindfulness practice. Brain stimulation with mindfulness-based relapse prevention. Treatment sessions will be 2 hours for 8 sessions, with the first 30 minutes consisting of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) with the current set to ramp up to 2.0 milliamps (mA) and then ramp down to 0.0 mA and guided meditation practice. Brain stimulation with mindfulness-based relapse prevention: Participants will participate in weekly or twice weekly group mindfulness based relapse prevention (MBRP) + transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) intervention sessions for up to eight weeks. All participants will receive 8 two hour sessions of MBRP + tDCS, regardless of the group schedule. Subjects will receive 30 minutes of either active or sham tDCS stimulation, depending on their group assignment. After tDCS, sessions will include discussions of mindfulness as a means of coping with craving, cognitions, and emotions, role play exercises, and mindfulness practice.
Measure Participants 35 23
Post-treatment assessment
27.42
(30.54)
25.93
(26.82)
2-month follow-up
29.51
(31.15)
28.80
(33.16)
3. Other Pre-specified Outcome
Title Cue Reactivity at the Post-Treatment Assessment
Description To measure cue reactivity to alcohol, the investigators will use a visual cue presentation task. Participants will view pictures of alcohol containing beverages and neutral pictures from the International Affective Pictures Series (IAPS)118 and from the web. Alcohol and neutral pictures will be matched for color and complexity as well as other potentially important confounds (e.g., presence of people). The investigators will examine responses to approximately 100 trials each of alcohol pictures and control pictures in a mixed event design (~15 minutes), in order to reduce predictability of the picture type. After viewing pictures participants reported craving for alcohol on a scale from 1 to 9 (1=no craving, 9=extreme craving) with higher scores indicating worse outcomes.
Time Frame Post-treatment

Outcome Measure Data

Analysis Population Description
[Not Specified]
Arm/Group Title Active Stimulation With Mindfulness Sham Brain Stimulation With Mindfulness
Arm/Group Description Brain stimulation with mindfulness-based relapse prevention. Treatment sessions will be 2 hours for 8 sessions, with the first 30 minutes consisting of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) with the current set to 2.0 milliamps (mA) and guided meditation practice. Brain stimulation with mindfulness-based relapse prevention: Participants will participate in weekly or twice weekly group mindfulness based relapse prevention (MBRP) + transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) intervention sessions for up to eight weeks. All participants will receive 8 two hour sessions of MBRP + tDCS, regardless of the group schedule. Subjects will receive 30 minutes of either active or sham tDCS stimulation, depending on their group assignment. After tDCS, sessions will include discussions of mindfulness as a means of coping with craving, cognitions, and emotions, role play exercises, and mindfulness practice. Brain stimulation with mindfulness-based relapse prevention. Treatment sessions will be 2 hours for 8 sessions, with the first 30 minutes consisting of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) with the current set to ramp up to 2.0 milliamps (mA) and then ramp down to 0.0 mA and guided meditation practice. Brain stimulation with mindfulness-based relapse prevention: Participants will participate in weekly or twice weekly group mindfulness based relapse prevention (MBRP) + transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) intervention sessions for up to eight weeks. All participants will receive 8 two hour sessions of MBRP + tDCS, regardless of the group schedule. Subjects will receive 30 minutes of either active or sham tDCS stimulation, depending on their group assignment. After tDCS, sessions will include discussions of mindfulness as a means of coping with craving, cognitions, and emotions, role play exercises, and mindfulness practice.
Measure Participants 24 13
Mean (Standard Deviation) [Score on a scale]
3.49
(1.81)
3.06
(1.61)
4. Other Pre-specified Outcome
Title Reductions in Self-reported Craving
Description Self-reported craving will be measured using the Penn Alcohol Craving Scale (scaled from 0 to 5 with higher scores indicate worse outcome = more craving) with higher scores mean a worse outcome.
Time Frame 2 months following treatment

Outcome Measure Data

Analysis Population Description
[Not Specified]
Arm/Group Title Active Stimulation With Mindfulness Sham Brain Stimulation With Mindfulness
Arm/Group Description Brain stimulation with mindfulness-based relapse prevention. Treatment sessions will be 2 hours for 8 sessions, with the first 30 minutes consisting of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) with the current set to 2.0 milliamps (mA) and guided meditation practice. Brain stimulation with mindfulness-based relapse prevention: Participants will participate in weekly or twice weekly group mindfulness based relapse prevention (MBRP) + transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) intervention sessions for up to eight weeks. All participants will receive 8 two hour sessions of MBRP + tDCS, regardless of the group schedule. Subjects will receive 30 minutes of either active or sham tDCS stimulation, depending on their group assignment. After tDCS, sessions will include discussions of mindfulness as a means of coping with craving, cognitions, and emotions, role play exercises, and mindfulness practice. Brain stimulation with mindfulness-based relapse prevention. Treatment sessions will be 2 hours for 8 sessions, with the first 30 minutes consisting of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) with the current set to ramp up to 2.0 milliamps (mA) and then ramp down to 0.0 mA and guided meditation practice. Brain stimulation with mindfulness-based relapse prevention: Participants will participate in weekly or twice weekly group mindfulness based relapse prevention (MBRP) + transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) intervention sessions for up to eight weeks. All participants will receive 8 two hour sessions of MBRP + tDCS, regardless of the group schedule. Subjects will receive 30 minutes of either active or sham tDCS stimulation, depending on their group assignment. After tDCS, sessions will include discussions of mindfulness as a means of coping with craving, cognitions, and emotions, role play exercises, and mindfulness practice.
Measure Participants 32 20
Mean (Standard Deviation) [Score on a scale]
2.24
(1.21)
2.40
(1.42)
5. Other Pre-specified Outcome
Title Improvements in Inhibitory Control
Description To examine inhibitory control, the investigators will use a Stop Signal Task in which participants make left-right judgments of the directionality of an arrow presented on the screen. For each trial, a circle will appear for 500 ms, followed by a left or right-pointing arrow for up to 1 second and between 500 ms and 2500 ms jittered inter-trial interval to reduce anticipatory responses. Approximately 25% of trials will be "stop trials" with a tone played to signal participants to inhibit the current response. This timing of the tone is dynamically adjusted to ensure successful inhibition on approximately 50% of trials. There will be 240 trials across 6 blocks (~10 minutes). Inhibitory control is measured by stop signal reaction time.
Time Frame Post-treatment

Outcome Measure Data

Analysis Population Description
[Not Specified]
Arm/Group Title Active Stimulation With Mindfulness Sham Brain Stimulation With Mindfulness
Arm/Group Description Brain stimulation with mindfulness-based relapse prevention. Treatment sessions will be 2 hours for 8 sessions, with the first 30 minutes consisting of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) with the current set to 2.0 milliamps (mA) and guided meditation practice. Brain stimulation with mindfulness-based relapse prevention: Participants will participate in weekly or twice weekly group mindfulness based relapse prevention (MBRP) + transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) intervention sessions for up to eight weeks. All participants will receive 8 two hour sessions of MBRP + tDCS, regardless of the group schedule. Subjects will receive 30 minutes of either active or sham tDCS stimulation, depending on their group assignment. After tDCS, sessions will include discussions of mindfulness as a means of coping with craving, cognitions, and emotions, role play exercises, and mindfulness practice. Brain stimulation with mindfulness-based relapse prevention. Treatment sessions will be 2 hours for 8 sessions, with the first 30 minutes consisting of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) with the current set to ramp up to 2.0 milliamps (mA) and then ramp down to 0.0 mA and guided meditation practice. Brain stimulation with mindfulness-based relapse prevention: Participants will participate in weekly or twice weekly group mindfulness based relapse prevention (MBRP) + transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) intervention sessions for up to eight weeks. All participants will receive 8 two hour sessions of MBRP + tDCS, regardless of the group schedule. Subjects will receive 30 minutes of either active or sham tDCS stimulation, depending on their group assignment. After tDCS, sessions will include discussions of mindfulness as a means of coping with craving, cognitions, and emotions, role play exercises, and mindfulness practice.
Measure Participants 28 15
Mean (Standard Deviation) [milliseconds]
284.43
(94.85)
266.06
(51.07)

Adverse Events

Time Frame 1 year, 6 months
Adverse Event Reporting Description
Arm/Group Title Active Stimulation With Mindfulness Sham Brain Stimulation With Mindfulness
Arm/Group Description Brain stimulation with mindfulness-based relapse prevention. Treatment sessions will be 2 hours for 8 sessions, with the first 30 minutes consisting of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) with the current set to 2.0 milliamps (mA) and guided meditation practice. Brain stimulation with mindfulness-based relapse prevention: Participants will participate in weekly or twice weekly group mindfulness based relapse prevention (MBRP) + transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) intervention sessions for up to eight weeks. All participants will receive 8 two hour sessions of MBRP + tDCS, regardless of the group schedule. Subjects will receive 30 minutes of either active or sham tDCS stimulation, depending on their group assignment. After tDCS, sessions will include discussions of mindfulness as a means of coping with craving, cognitions, and emotions, role play exercises, and mindfulness practice. Brain stimulation with mindfulness-based relapse prevention. Treatment sessions will be 2 hours for 8 sessions, with the first 30 minutes consisting of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) with the current set to ramp up to 2.0 milliamps (mA) and then ramp down to 0.0 mA and guided meditation practice. Brain stimulation with mindfulness-based relapse prevention: Participants will participate in weekly or twice weekly group mindfulness based relapse prevention (MBRP) + transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) intervention sessions for up to eight weeks. All participants will receive 8 two hour sessions of MBRP + tDCS, regardless of the group schedule. Subjects will receive 30 minutes of either active or sham tDCS stimulation, depending on their group assignment. After tDCS, sessions will include discussions of mindfulness as a means of coping with craving, cognitions, and emotions, role play exercises, and mindfulness practice.
All Cause Mortality
Active Stimulation With Mindfulness Sham Brain Stimulation With Mindfulness
Affected / at Risk (%) # Events Affected / at Risk (%) # Events
Total 0/47 (0%) 0/37 (0%)
Serious Adverse Events
Active Stimulation With Mindfulness Sham Brain Stimulation With Mindfulness
Affected / at Risk (%) # Events Affected / at Risk (%) # Events
Total 0/47 (0%) 0/37 (0%)
Other (Not Including Serious) Adverse Events
Active Stimulation With Mindfulness Sham Brain Stimulation With Mindfulness
Affected / at Risk (%) # Events Affected / at Risk (%) # Events
Total 0/47 (0%) 0/37 (0%)

Limitations/Caveats

We were unable to assess alcohol biomarkers and relied entirely on self-reported drinking, which may be prone to errors. Another potential limitation is the relatively higher age and wide age range of this sample (52.3 years, SD 13.00, range 19-77).

More Information

Certain Agreements

Principal Investigators are NOT employed by the organization sponsoring the study.

There is NOT an agreement between Principal Investigators and the Sponsor (or its agents) that restricts the PI's rights to discuss or publish trial results after the trial is completed.

Results Point of Contact

Name/Title Katie Witkiewitz
Organization University of New Mexico
Phone 505-277-4121
Email katiew@unm.edu
Responsible Party:
University of New Mexico
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
NCT02861807
Other Study ID Numbers:
  • 04316
  • R21AA024926
First Posted:
Aug 10, 2016
Last Update Posted:
Feb 5, 2020
Last Verified:
Nov 1, 2019