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CompletedNCT05074524Updated May 17, 2022

Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation to Reduce Heroin Cravings

An interventional study of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation and Sham Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in Opioid-use Disorder, Heroin Abuse and Craving, sponsored by University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Completed at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 64 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2022-05-17.

Sponsored by University of Nevada, Las Vegas · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

From the registry’s dates

  • Primary completion was Jan 2022, 4 years 9 months ago, and no results have been posted to the registry.
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
24
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years to 64 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The purpose of this research study is to test the effect of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on opioid cravings among adult patients with Opioid Use Disorder.

Read the detailed description

This study will use rTMS, a neuromagnetic and non-invasive treatment, to reduce opioid cravings in individuals who are diagnosed with opioid use disorder. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation is currently used for the treatment of Major Depressive Disorder and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in clinical practice. This proposed study will employ a randomized, single-blind, experimental design. Participants will be randomly assigned to two groups using a computer-based randomization program: treatment and sham-control groups.

02

Conditions studied

  • Opioid-use Disorder
  • Heroin Abuse
  • Craving
  • Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
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 enrollment of 24 is below the median of 63 across 1,166 interventional studies indexed under Opioid-Related Disorders.

Browse Opioid-Related Disorders studies →

Lead sponsor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas is the lead sponsor of 75 studies on the registry; 22 are open to participants now.

Of its 5 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 2 (40%) have results posted.

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

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 64 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

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

  • Adult aged 18-64, used heroin in the past 30 days;
  • has a history of heroin use for at least one year;
  • meets the clinical criteria for Opioid Use Disorder (only heroin use will be considered to meet this criteria);
  • meets the clinician clearance using the rTMS Patient Screening Form.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • do not currently take and medications for a substance use disorder such as methadone, buprenorphine, naltrexone, acamprosate, disulfiram;
  • do not have a psychotic disorder;
  • do not have a diagnosis of another substance use disorder;
  • do not have a history of seizures or other neurological disorders including organic brain disease; epilepsy, stroke, brain lesions, multiple sclerosis, previous neurosurgery;
  • do not have a personal history of head trauma that resulted in a loss of consciousness for more than 5 minutes and retrograde amnesia for more than 30 minutes;
  • do not have a presence of non-fixed metal in body 30 cm to treatment coil.
  • have not taken any medication for a substance use disorder within the last 72 hours before the first rTMS treatment;
  • are not pregnant or think you may be pregnant.
05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Single (Participant)
Enrollment
24 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    rTMS group

    Active rTMS treatment will be delivered at 10 Hz, 100% resting motor threshold, 2000 pulses delivered in five seconds per train with 10-second intra-train pause, delivered once daily five days per week, Monday through Friday for 10 days (10 total treatments). This protocol is adapted from Shen and colleagues (2016), who did not report any adverse events. Liu and colleagues (2020) also used the same protocol and only reported mild side effects of dizziness, headache, and insomnia, which resolved by the 30-day follow-up. However, it is unclear whether these side effects resolved sooner than the 30-day follow-up.

    Device: Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

  • Sham comparator
    Placebo Group

    The control group will undergo the same seat positioning and comfort measures but will not have a resting motor threshold determination. The coil will be turned 90 degrees counter-clockwise, and the side of the coil will rest on the scalp over the area of the skull corresponding to the motor cortex, so the participant will feel the coil making contact. The same treatment protocol in the active rTMS group will be initiated to mimic the sound of rTMS treatment, though no pulses will be delivered to the participant because of the coil rotation.

    Device: Sham Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

Interventions

  • DeviceRepetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

    Active rTMS treatment will be delivered at 10 Hz, 100% resting motor threshold, 2000 pulses delivered in five seconds per train with 10-second intra-train pause, delivered once daily five days per week, Monday through Friday for 10 days (10 total treatments). This protocol is adapted from Shen and colleagues (2016), who did not report any adverse events. Liu and colleagues (2020) also used the same protocol and only reported mild side effects of dizziness, headache, and insomnia, which resolved by the 30-day follow-up. However, it is unclear whether these side effects resolved sooner than the 30-day follow-up.

  • DeviceSham Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

    The control group will undergo the same seat positioning and comfort measures but will not have a resting motor threshold determination. The coil will be turned 90 degrees counter-clockwise, and the side of the coil will rest on the scalp over the area of the skull corresponding to the motor cortex, so the participant will feel the coil making contact. The same treatment protocol in the active rTMS group will be initiated to mimic the sound of rTMS treatment, though no pulses will be delivered to the participant because of the coil rotation.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Desires for Drug Questionnaire

    This standardized questionnaire measures cravings for opioids. This scale includes a total of 13 items. Scoring is based on a 1-7 likert scale for each item. Specific items are assigned to one of three domains: desire, negative reinforcement, and control. A higher score indicates higher level of cravings. A lower score indicates a lesser level of opioid cravings, which is a better outcome. The primary outcome measure will be measured at various time points throughout the study to assess a change.

    Time frame: Days 1, 3, 5, 8, 10, 12, 42

07

Study locations

1 site
  • University of Nevada, Las Vegas
    Las Vegas, Nevada 89154, United States
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on May 17, 2022, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT05074524
Lead sponsor
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Responsible party
Hyunhwa Lee (Assistant Professor, University of Nevada, Las Vegas) — Principal investigator
First posted
Oct 12, 2021
Start date
Oct 6, 2021
Primary completion
Jan 24, 2022
Completion
Jan 24, 2022
Last update
May 17, 2022

Oversight

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

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This study is completed, as verified in May 2022. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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