NCT05486234

CARS: Cannabis and Alcohol Reduction Study

Brief Computerized Intervention for Reducing Adolescent Cannabis and Alcohol Use

• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 52 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Medical University of South Carolina · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 13 Years – 17 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The study will test a computerized treatment with subjects ages 13-17 years who are seeking treatment for alcohol and/or cannabis use. Follow-up assessments will be conducted at one- and three-months following treatment.

Conditions

• Cannabis Use
• Alcohol Use, Unspecified
• Substance Use
• Substance Use Disorders

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	modified Approach-Avoidance Task (mAAT), which aims to modify automatic approach bias	Participants will undergo a baseline assessment before completing computerized tasks. During the baseline assessment, participants will be asked questions about alcohol and cannabis use. We will also ask questions about the way participants think about things, past life experiences related to substance use, and questions about how participants feel about reducing their substance use. Then, participants will complete a series computerized tasks where they will push and pull a joystick in response to images that are presented on a screen or where they will try to get a high score. During the computerized tasks, we will also be measuring brain activity using EEG. During the study, participants will also be asked to respond to questions about their health and behavior using an app on a smartphone or tablet using a secure program. Participants in the Treatment Group will then complete four sessions of the modified Approach-Avoidance Task (mAAT), which aims to modify automatic approach bias.
BEHAVIORAL	modified Approach-Avoidance Task (mAAT) that does not aim to modify automatic approach bias.	Participants will undergo a baseline assessment before completing computerized tasks. During the baseline assessment, participants will be asked questions about alcohol and cannabis use. We will also ask questions about the way participants think about things, past life experiences related to substance use, and questions about how participants feel about reducing their substance use. Then, participants will complete a series computerized tasks where they will push and pull a joystick in response to images that are presented on a screen or where they will try to get a high score. During the computerized tasks, we will also be measuring brain activity using EEG. During the study, participants will also be asked to respond to questions about their health and behavior using an app on a smartphone or tablet using a secure program. Participants in the Control Group will then complete four sessions of an Approach-Avoidance Task (mAAT) that does not aim to modify automatic approach bias.

Timeline

• Start date: 2023-01-25
• Primary completion: 2026-07-31
• Completion: 2026-08-01
• First posted: 2022-08-03
• Last updated: 2026-03-09

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States