CClinicalTrials.gg
RecruitingNCT04197921Updated Jun 26, 2026

Exablate for LIFU Neuromodulation in Patients With Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) and/or Other Substance Use Disorders (SUDs)

An interventional study of Exablate Model 4000 Type 2.0/2.1 in Opioid-use Disorder and Substance Use Disorders, sponsored by InSightec. Recruiting at 4 sites in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 60 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-06-26.

Sponsored by InSightec · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
29
Allocation
Not applicable
Ages
18 Years to 60 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The purpose of this clinical trial is to investigate Low Intensity Focused Ultrasound (LIFU) using the Exablate® Model 4000 Type 2.0/2.1 as an adjunctive neuromodulatory treatment for OUD (Opioid Use Disorder) and/or other Substance Use Disorders (SUDs) by assessing its safety and tolerability in subjects with OUD.

02

Conditions studied

  • Opioid-use Disorder
  • Substance Use Disorders
03

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 60 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

  1. Males and non-pregnant females, age 18 - 60 years old
  2. Subject meets DSM-5 criteria for OUD and/or other SUDs including alcohol (assessed via the SCID-5) of at least two years duration
  3. Subject is currently receiving outpatient treatment from the WVU Comprehensive Opioid Addiction Treatment Program (COAT), Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) or any other program which implements the COAT model; residential or inpatient treatment from the WVU Center for Hope and Healing or an affiliated WVU hospital; or receiving outpatient/inpatient/residential treatment from similar programs that are well known to the research team. If the subject is prescribed medication for AUD or OUD (e.g. buprenorphine-naloxone, naltrexone), they will be on a stable dose of the medication for the 7 days prior to the procedure. Stable is defined as within the therapeutic range but does not require same exact dose for 7 days.
  4. Subject has been off opioids and other illicit substances, except for cannabis, confirmed via urine toxicology screen
  5. The NAc is apparent on MRI such that treatment targeting can be performed directly (visible on MRI) and indirectly (using other anatomical structures for measurements)
  6. Subject is able to communicate sensations during the Exablate Transcranial procedure
  7. Subject is willing to cooperate with the study requirements including compliance with the regimen and completion of all study visits
  8. Subject is able to make own medical decisions as determined by the clinical team
  9. Subject has signed and received a copy of the approved informed consent form

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Subjects who are taking medications which may adversely interact with MOUD (See Appendix B for full list). Being on one of these medications would not automatically exclude a participant from study participation, does not automatically exclude a prospective subject from study participation. If a prospective or current subject is taking any medication listed in Appendix B, the study investigator is responsible for determining whether the subject is eligible for inclusion or continued study participation."
  2. Subject with standard contraindications for MR imaging such as non-MRI compatible implanted metallic devices
  3. Subject with known intolerance or allergies to the MRI contrast agent gadolinium (GADOVIST®)
  4. Subject who are unable or unwilling to tolerate the required prolonged stationary position during treatment (approximately 2-3 hours)
  5. More than 30% of the skull area traversed by the sonication pathway is covered by scars, scalp disorders (e.g., eczema), or atrophy of the scalp
  6. Subject with implanted objects in the skull or the brain
  7. Subject diagnosed with advanced kidney disease or on dialysis
  8. Subject with impaired renal function with estimated glomerular filtration rate \<30 mL/min/1.73m2
  9. Subject with known unstable cardiac status or severe hypertension including:

    1. Documented myocardial infarction within six months of enrollment
    2. Unstable angina on medication
    3. Unstable or worsening congestive heart failure
    4. Left ventricular ejection fraction below the lower limit of normal
    5. History of a hemodynamically unstable cardiac arrhythmia
    6. Cardiac pacemaker
    7. Severe hypertension (diastolic BP > 100 on medication)
  10. Subject with history of abnormal bleeding, hemorrhage, or coagulopathy
  11. Subject receiving anticoagulant (e.g. warfarin) or antiplatelet (e.g. aspirin) therapy within one week of focused ultrasound procedure or drugs known to increase risk or hemorrhage (e.g. Avastin) within one month of focused ultrasound procedure
  12. Abnormal coagulation profile (PLT \< 100,000/μl), PT (>13.9 sec) or PTT (>37.5 sec), and INR > 1.2. If values are outside the range of normal limits, any clinically significant value may be excluded as determined by a study investigator.
  13. Subject with cerebrovascular disease as determined by MRI according to the Fazekas criteria. Grades II and III on the Fazekas scale should be excluded
  14. Past or present diagnosis of schizophrenia, psychotic disorder, bipolar disorder, or untreated depression other than one determined to be substance induced (assessed via SCID-5)
  15. Score of greater than 17 on the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) or increased risk of suicide based on any positive response regarding passive or active suicidal ideation with or without intent over the past 3 months or lifetime history of active suicidal ideation with intent on the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) at baseline
  16. History of suicide attempt
  17. Parental history of completed suicide
  18. Subject meet the criteria for Cluster A or B Personality Disorders (assessed via SCID-5-PD)
  19. Diagnosis of dementia or any other disorder which has led to a clinically significant cognitive impairment (assessed via NIHTB-CB)
  20. Subject with brain tumors
  21. Subject with chronic pulmonary disorders e.g. severe emphysema, pulmonary vasculitis, or other causes of reduced pulmonary vascular cross-sectional area
  22. Any known CNS infection or infection with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) or Hepatitis C (HCV). A diagnosis of Hepatitis C (HCV) alone is not exclusionary as long as hepatic function laboratory values are deemed not clinically significant by a study investigator and are ≤ 1.5 times the upper limit of normal.
  23. Subject who has had deep brain stimulation or a prior stereotactic ablation of the NAc, basal ganglia or thalamus
  24. Subject who has been administered botulinum toxins into the arm, neck, or face for 5 months prior to baseline
  25. Subject who is currently participating in another clinical investigation with an active treatment arm
  26. Subject unwilling to abstain from illicit substance use during the course of the study
  27. Subject is considered to be a poor surgical or study candidate, which may include, but is not limited to the following: any medical, social, or psychological problem that could complicate the required procedures and evaluations of the study in the judgment of the investigator
  28. Subject is non-English speaking
  29. Subject is pregnant or planning to be pregnant
04

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
29 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Other
    Sham/Active ExAblate Treatment Stage 1 and 2

    Subject will undergo both Treatment 1 (sham) and Treatment 2 (with enhanced intensity). Subjects are blinded to the order of the sham vs active treatment.

    Device: Exablate Model 4000 Type 2.0/2.1

Interventions

  • DeviceExablate Model 4000 Type 2.0/2.1

    There are two treatment stages. In both stages, the subject will receive both the sham and active ExAblate treatment, and be evaluated for 90 days post-treatment for adverse events. During Stage 1 the subject will receive the moderate intensity Exablate LIFU procedure. During Stage2, the subject will receive the enhanced intensity ExAblate LIFU procedure. The subjects are blinded as to the order of the sham vs active treatment.

05

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Occurrence of Treatment Emergent Adverse Events

    Safety will be assessed by recording all adverse events that are treatment related. Each Adverse Event will be documented for patterns of occurence.

    Time frame: Post-ExAblate Procedure through 4 Month Follow-Up

06

Study locations

3 of 4 sites recruiting
  • Tampa General Hospital
    Tampa, Florida 33606, United States
    • Carlos Rodriguez-Cosme · Contact · crodriguezcosme@tgh.org · 8138447564
    • Yarema Bezchlibnyk, MD, PhD · Principal investigator
    Not yet recruiting
  • University of Maryland, Baltimore
    Baltimore, Maryland 21201, United States
    • Katie Henry, MS · Contact · khenry@som.umaryland.edu · 4103280939
    • Alexander Ksendzovsky, MD, PhD · Principal investigator
    Recruiting
  • Weill Cornell Medicine
    New York, New York 10065, United States
    Recruiting
  • West Virginia University: Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute
    Morgantown, West Virginia 26505, United States
    • Jennifer Marton · Contact · jennifer.marton@hsc.wvu.edu · 304-293-5886
    • Ali Rezai, MD · Principal investigator
    • Marc Haut, PhD · Sub investigator
    • James Mahoney, PhD · Sub investigator
    Recruiting
07

References and documents

Publications

  • Mahoney JJ, Thompson-Lake DGY, Ranjan M, Marton JL, Carpenter JS, D'Haese PF, Arsiwala T, Suffridge J, Farmer DL, Finomore VS, Tirumalai P, Hodder SL, Rezai AR. A case report of focused ultrasound neuromodulation of the bilateral nucleus accumbens for methamphetamine use disorder. Exp Clin Psychopharmacol. 2026 Jun;34(3):324-330. doi: 10.1037/pha0000793. Epub 2025 Sep 1. PubMed 40892597 ↗
08

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT04197921
Lead sponsor
InSightec
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Dec 13, 2019
Start date
Nov 27, 2019
Primary completion
Dec 31, 2026 (estimated)
Completion
Dec 31, 2027 (estimated)
Last update
Jun 26, 2026

Study contacts

Kingsley Nwaogu
Contact
clinicalresearchquestions@insightec.com
2143048264

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
Yes
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Interested in this study?

Eligibility is decided by the study team. Share this record with your doctor or contact the team directly.

Contact study team

Follow this study

Get an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.

Sign in to follow

Discussion

Questions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.

Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.

Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.

Start the discussion