Trial reportDrug and alcohol dependence2025
Intermittent theta burst to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex promoted decreased alcohol consumption and improved outcomes in those with alcohol use disorder: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial.
Trial report in Drug and alcohol dependence, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- The Effects of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation on Alcohol Craving, Efficacy, Emotion, and Cognitive Function in Patients With Alcohol Use Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trial.Brain and behavior · 2026Pooled it
- Efficacy of intermittent theta-burst stimulation for substance use disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized sham-controlled trials.Frontiers in neurology · 2026Pooled it
- The OPRM1 A118G G Allele Is Associated With Poorer Auditory-Verbal Learning and Memory, Executive Functions, and Working Memory in Veterans Undergoing Residential Treatment for Alcohol Use Disorder.Alcohol, clinical & experimental research · 2026Article
- Effects of intermittent theta burst to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex on brain volumes and neurometabolites in people with alcohol use disorder: a preliminary investigation.Frontiers in human neuroscience · 2025Article
- A network-based brain stimulation paradigm for alcohol use disorder with co-occurring major depressive disorder: a mini review targeting the ventral attention network.Frontiers in neurologyReview
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundOver 60 % of individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD) resume hazardous drinking within 6 months post-treatment, necessitating the development of more efficacious interventions. Accumulating evidence suggests transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a promising intervention for AUD. This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial assessed the efficacy of intermittent theta burst (iTBS), a form of TMS, as an adjunct treatment for AUD.
methodsForty-nine Veterans with AUD (48 males, 1 female) were recruited from residential AUD and substance use disorder treatment. Participants were randomized to 20 sessions of Active (n = 25) or Sham (n = 24) iTBS (1200 pulses/session), targeting the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) administered over 14 days or less. Five participants were withdrawn unrelated to iTBS procedure adverse events. Participant alcohol/substance use was monitored for 6-months following final iTBS session.
resultsRelative to participants who received Sham iTBS, those who received Active iTBS showed a significantly greater reduction in percent heavy drinking days and a trend for higher rate of continuous abstinence over 6-months. Among participants who resumed alcohol consumption, those in the Active group demonstrated significantly lower quantity and duration of alcohol consumption than Sham. Pre-study alcohol consumption variables were not related to post-iTBS treatment outcomes.
conclusionsFindings indicated that Active left DLPFC iTBS, delivered over approximately 2-weeks, was a safe and efficient intervention for AUD that promoted significantly reduced heavy drinking and improved clinical outcomes compared to Sham over 6-months post-iTBS. This study provides novel data to inform and power future larger-scale, multi-site clinical trials employing iTBS for AUD.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.