ClinicalTrials.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

From the registry’s dates

  • Started Nov 2019; still recruiting 6 years 11 months later.
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

In context

Opioid-Related Disorders

1,472 studies on the registry are indexed under Opioid-Related Disorders; 290 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 29 is below the median of 63 across 1,166 interventional studies indexed under Opioid-Related Disorders.

Browse Opioid-Related Disorders studies →

Lead sponsor

InSightec is the lead sponsor of 84 studies on the registry; 9 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

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

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  1. Males and non-pregnant females, age 18 - 60 years old
  2. Subject meets 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 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 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 \<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. 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 ( \< 100,000/μl), PT (>13.9 sec) or (>37.5 sec), and INR > 1.2. If values are outside the range of normal limits, any 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 (HIV) or (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 .
  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
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(11)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

DSM diagnostic criteria

The American Psychiatric Association’s manual of mental health diagnoses. DSM-5 (2013, revised as DSM-5-TR in 2022) replaced DSM-IV, and some studies still name the older edition. “Meets DSM criteria for …” means diagnosed by that edition’s diagnostic criteria, usually by a clinician in an interview.

Informed consent

Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.

You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.

Contraindication

A reason a treatment, test or procedure should not be given to a particular person, such as an allergy, another illness or a medicine they take.

GFR and eGFR (kidney filtering)

GFR (glomerular filtration rate) is how much blood the kidneys filter each minute. It is usually estimated from a blood test — eGFR, by formulas such as CKD-EPI or MDRD — and some studies ask for it to be measured directly instead. Usually given in mL/min/1.73 m².

Check the method, the units and the minimum the study states. A value of 90 or above is in the normal-or-high range, but kidney damage can show in other tests too.

LVEF (left ventricular ejection fraction)

The share of blood the heart’s main pumping chamber (the left ventricle) pushes out with each beat, measured by an echocardiogram (heart ultrasound) or a MUGA scan. About 50–70% is normal.

Platelets

Blood cells that help blood clot. Too few raises the risk of bleeding and bruising. A usual adult range is about 150–400 × 10⁹/L (150,000–400,000 per µL); each lab has its own reference range.

INR, PT and aPTT (clotting tests)

Blood tests of how long blood takes to clot. The INR is the prothrombin time (PT) put on a common scale; about 1 is usual for someone not taking a blood thinner.

Criteria often make an exception for people on a blood thinner such as warfarin, whose INR is raised on purpose.

Clinically significant

Judged by the study doctor to matter for your health or for the study. It is a doctor’s decision, so ask the study team if you are unsure whether something counts.

HIV

The human immunodeficiency virus, which weakens the immune system.

Many studies now accept people whose HIV is controlled on treatment, judged by the viral load and the CD4 count. Check the limits this study sets.

Hepatitis C tests

Hepatitis C is a virus that infects the liver. An HCV antibody test can stay positive after an infection has cleared (and is occasionally positive without one); an HCV RNA test shows whether the virus is there now.

After treatment, hepatitis C counts as cured when HCV RNA is still undetectable 12 weeks or more after the treatment ended. Studies often accept people cured this way.

ULN (upper limit of normal)

The top of the normal range for a blood test, as set by the laboratory that runs it. Each lab prints its own range next to your result.

“≤ 2.5 × ULN” means the result can be up to two and a half times that top value.

05

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.

06

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

07

Study locations

3 of 4 sites recruiting
08

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 ↗
09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Jun 26, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

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 ↗

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