NCT07071779

Web-based Alcohol- or Cocaine-specific Inhibition Training in Adolescents and Young Adults With Substance Use Disorder

Web-based Alcohol- or Cocaine Specific Inhibition Training in Adolescents and Young Adults With Substance Use Disorder

• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 210 (estimated)
• Sponsor: University of Bern · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 14 Years – 35 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

Substance misuse is one of the most common risk factors for health problems and premature death among adolescents and young adults worldwide. Although there are effective treatments for substance use disorder (SUD), there is still a need to further improve their effectiveness and make them easier to access. Early research suggests that substance-specific inhibition training, when used in addition to specialized treatment, can improve treatment outcomes. This training aims to strengthen inhibition specifically in situations with substance-related cues. The goal of this project is to offer this training for the first time in the form of a smartphone app, which is expected to increase the availability of the training. The main aim of the study is to evaluate whether this new app-based cognitive training is feasible as an add-on to the treatment of SUD in adolescents and young adults. In addition, the study will gather preliminary insights into whether the training affects drinking behavior and related brain processes. The project will be conducted as a double-blind, clinical pilot study. A total of 210 adolescents and young adults between 14 and 35 years old will be recruited from five specialized treatment centers. After the first study visit, participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: (1) an intervention group receiving the alcohol-specific inhibition training or (2) a control group receiving a similar alcohol-nonspecific inhibition training. During their participation, all participants will complete six short training sessions with the app. About one month later, they will complete six additional booster training sessions. This research may help develop effective, easily accessible tools to support young people with substance use disorder.

Conditions

• Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD)
• Cocaine Use Disorder (CUD)
• Substance Use Disorder (SUD)

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	Substance-specific inhibition training	Twelve sessions of substance-specific inhibition training
OTHER	Control training	Twelve sessions of unspecific inhibition training

Timeline

• Start date: 2025-07-23
• Primary completion: 2026-08-01
• Completion: 2026-08-01
• First posted: 2025-07-17
• Last updated: 2026-02-18

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Switzerland