ArticleAlcohol, clinical & experimental research2024
Effect of N-acetylcysteine on neural alcohol cue reactivity and craving in adolescents who drink heavily: A preliminary randomized clinical trial.
Article in Alcohol, clinical & experimental research, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed.
- A Randomized Controlled Trial of N-acetylcysteine for Adolescent and Young Adult Alcohol Use Disorder.Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry · 2026Trial
- The neural and psychophysiological effects of cannabidiol in youth with alcohol use disorder: A randomized controlled clinical trial.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2025Trial
- Alcohol demand and alcohol use disorder among adolescents and young adults who drink heavily: An exploratory analysis including sex differences.Addictive behaviors · 2026Article
- The alcohol cue-exposure paradigm as a screening tool for alcohol use disorder medication development: A critical review.Alcohol, clinical & experimental research · 2025Review
- Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundAlcohol craving is related to problematic alcohol use; therefore, pharmacotherapies that modulate alcohol craving are of interest. N-acetylcysteine, an over-the-counter antioxidant, is a candidate pharmacotherapy for adolescent alcohol use with the potential to impact craving. Cue-reactivity paradigms using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) can identify neural regions implicated in craving and serve as a screening tool for novel pharmacotherapy options.
methodsThis preliminary study examined the effect of N-acetylcysteine on neural reactivity to alcohol cues and subjective craving among 31 non-treatment-seeking adolescents (17.6-19.9 years old, 55% female) who use alcohol heavily. In a randomized cross-over design, participants completed three fMRI sessions: baseline and after a 10-day course of N-acetylcysteine (1200 mg twice daily) and matched placebo. The primary outcome was neural response to alcohol versus non-alcohol beverage cues after N-acetylcysteine versus placebo, with a secondary outcome of self-reported subjective craving.
resultsIn the full sample (n = 31), there was no effect of N-acetylcysteine versus placebo on neural alcohol reactivity (ps ≥ 0.49;
conclusionsN-acetylcysteine may not alter neural reactivity to alcohol cues or acute craving; however, it may reduce general subjective alcohol craving among adolescents who consume alcohol heavily.
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Registered trials
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