Clinical Research Directory

MIO-CPP to Improve the Well-being, Permanency, and Safety Outcomes for Young Children at Risk of or in Out-of-home Placement in Philadelphia and Bucks Counties, and Affected by Maternal Substance Use

The goal of the project is to improve child well-being, permanency, and safety, and reduce the risk for involvement in the child welfare system for families with children pre-birth to five years who are affected by parental substance use disorders (SUD). The project will integrate with SUD treatment programs for pregnant/parenting women and their children and provide an evidence-based therapeutic model, Mothering from the Inside Out (MIO) and Child Parent Psychotherapy (CPP). MIO-CPP promotes the development of parental reflective functioning and strengthen parent/child attachment. The project will also examine the role of Certified Recovery Specialists (CRS) to provide case management services to parents during their enrollment in therapy. MIO is an individual, manualized, psychotherapeutic intervention designed to promote parental reflective functioning in mothers who are in treatment for SUDs and/or other mental health problems, and caring for a child in-utero through five years old. CPP is typically offered through weekly sessions with the mother-child dyad that last 1 to 1.5 hours. This is a single-arm effectiveness study to assess effectiveness and efficiency of MIO-CPP on parent and child outcomes including evidence-based model efficiency, parent/caregiver well-being, child well-being, and family well-being. The study will take place in two phases. All eligible caregivers will receive MIO-CPP. Participants enrolled during Phase 2 of the study will additionally receive an exploratory enhanced intervention intended to increase client engagement with MIO-CPP. The recruitment for study participants will stop when 320 mother-child dyads have enrolled in the study. Participants will include mother-child dyads from families involved with residential SUD treatment programs serving women and children in Philadelphia and Bucks counties. In Bucks County we will receive referrals from Libertae Inc. in Bensalem, Pennsylvania (PA). In Philadelphia, we will receive referrals from Gaudenzia Hutchinson Place and the Gaudenzia Winner Program. Data collection from participants will occur at four time points during the study: 1) when participants are enrolled; 2) 3 months following enrollment; 3) 6 months following enrollment; and 4) 9 months following enrollment or when the participant ends their participation in weekly therapy sessions if sooner than 9 months following enrollment. Study measures will include: 1) Parent/Caregiver Well-being: a) maternal reflective functioning, b) depression, anxiety, and trauma-related symptoms, c) parental substance use and move toward recovery; d) parenting stress; e) parent-child relationship; 2) Child Well-being: a) behavior problems, b) executive functions; c) socialization skills; 3) Family Well-being: a) child welfare involvement, b) reunifications. As part of this study, investigator will acquire administrative data about the safety and permanency of children and adult recovery for all study participants. The Primary Investigator will request substance use treatment data from the City of Philadelphia Department of Human Services. The requested data elements will include whether the study child has a child welfare record, the types of allegations of abuse or neglect, and when the allegations occurred (from birth to present day). Additionally, investigators will request all available substance use treatment records will be requested for adults who are a part of a study case for the year prior to enrollment in the study to one year following their enrollment in the study.

Validation of the Behavioral Activation for Depression Scale in Individuals With Substance Use Disorders

This cross-sectional observational study evaluates the psychometric properties, structural validity, item response characteristics, and concurrent criterion validity of the Behavioral Activation for Depression Scale (BADS) in adults receiving clinical treatment for substance use disorders (SUD). The study examines the scale's dimensional structure, reliability, and association with environmental reward (Environmental Reward Observation Scale, EROS) in a primary clinical cohort of 289 participants. Concurrent and discriminant validity analyses with additional clinical measures (assessing borderline symptom severity, impulsivity, anxiety, and anger expression) were evaluated in a verified sequential subcohort of 59 participants with fully confirmed individual-level linkage across multi-scale administration sheets. This retrospective study record documents the completed psychometric evaluation conducted within a specialized residential therapeutic community.

Ketamine for Methamphetamine Use Disorder

This study aims to determine whether treatment response with IV ketamine is superior to treatment response with IV midazolam in adults with moderate to severe MUD. The study design is a 12-week randomized, double-blind, controlled trial comparing intravenous (IV) ketamine against IV midazolam, delivered over six weeks in 120 adults with moderate to severe methamphetamine use disorder (MUD).

Psilocybin Assisted Psychotherapy for Treatment Resistant Depression and Co-occurring Substance Use Disorder

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if a single dose of psilocybin (5mg Vs 10mg Vs 25mg) alongside psychotherapy is safe and can help treat treatment resistant depression (TRD) with co-occurring substance use disorder (SUD). The participant sample will be enriched for veterans and first responders. Investigators seek to answer: * Whether 5mgs, 10mgs and 25mgs of psilocybin are safe in individuals with co-occurring TRD and SUD * Whether psilocybin assisted psychotherapy will reduce substance use severity and depression symptoms * What neurobiological processes are associated with the effects of psilocybin assisted psychotherapy. The researchers will compare the effects of a single dose of psilocybin (either 5mgs or 10mgs or 25mg) alongside psychotherapy on substance use severity and depression symptoms over six weeks in a sample of individuals with TRD and co-occurring SUD. In this 14-week study, participants will: * Visit the clinic for two intake sessions * Complete seven psychotherapy sessions. This will include three sessions before psilocybin administration, an 8 to 10 hour dosing session, and three sessions following psilocybin administration * Complete short, repeated daily assessments for six weeks, in total, before and after psilocybin administration * Complete two brain scans before and after psilocybin administration

MOms in REcovery (MORE) Study: Defining Optimal Care

Northern New England has among the highest rates of opioid dependence in the U.S. This region also has among the highest rates of opioid-related deaths in the U.S., with a disproportionate high rate among pregnant women with opioid use disorder. Newborns impacted by OUD have increased risk of poor outcomes, including preterm birth and long hospitalization for neonatal withdrawal and other newborn complications. For pregnant women with OUD, medication treatment (MOUD) significantly reduces these risks. Many maternity care providers have begun to prescribe MOUD in their practices. Other practices have maintained the longstanding evidence-based standard of care, referral of patients with OUD to specialty treatment programs. Most pregnant women with OUD have other psychosocial needs, ranging from lack of housing and untreated mental health conditions, to need for parenting education and support. There is variability among practices in terms of types of other services provided to patients. Although pregnancy is a time when women are highly motivated to start MOUD, many women are also likely to discontinue MOUD postpartum due to loss of insurance coverage, difficulty transitioning to another provider, loss of motivation for treatment, or competing demands on time and resources as a new parent. The challenge for patients, providers, and other stakeholders is to understand the relative advantage of the two MOUD models (receiving MOUD as part of maternity care or at a specialty program) for improving key outcomes for baby \& mother. A second challenge is to understand the relative contributions of onsite services such as mental health care, care coordination and parenting education to improved outcomes. Addressing these challenges is particularly important in rural areas where obstetric practices \& specialty care services are limited. Patients, providers \& other stakeholders need guidance in choosing the optimal models for building programs to provide maternity care for women with OUD.

STEPS: Substance Use Trial of E-cigarettes or Pharmacotherapy for Smoking

The purpose of this study is to investigate whether non-cigarette tobacco products, namely e-cigarettes (nicotine vapes), can help people who smoke and are in treatment for substance use disorder quit smoking by switching completely to e-cigarettes as compared to FDA-approved medications, namely nicotine replacement therapy in the form of patches and lozenges. Participation will last 6 months and includes 14 weekly study visits and 2 follow-up study visits (in-person, but virtual study visits are possible). Participants will also complete a short daily diary on their phones each day for the first twelve weeks. To qualify, participants (ages 21+) must be enrolled in an outpatient substance use disorder (SUD) treatment program. The study is being done in four regions across South Carolina: Charleston, Pickens/Easley, Conway, and Greenville.

Development and Evaluation of a Virtual Reality Tool for At-Risk Trauma-Exposed Young People

This is a multi-phased study, funded through a National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) K24 grant that aims to ultimately refine a virtual reality tool through qualitative and quantitative research targeting HIV and substance abuse risk behavior among at-risk young people who have experienced psychosocial trauma. Participants eligible for this study include young men who have sex with men (YMSM)/individuals who are romantically/physically attracted to men and adolescents with substance use disorder (SUD) between the ages of 15 - 30 and have experienced at least one traumatic event in their lifetime. Frontline healthcare workers who work within these populations are eligible for the study as well.

Improving Maternal Mental Health & SUD Screening and Treatment

The purpose of the study is to compare a text message-based mental health and substance use screening and referral to a treatment program, called Listening to Women and Pregnant and Postpartum People (LTWP), to standard of care in-person mental health and substance use screening to look at rates of treatment attendance and retention in treatment. Participation would involve completing online questionnaires. You may be eligible to participate if you are age 18-45 years, are pregnant and entering prenatal care in one of MUSC's OB clinics, and attended a prenatal appointment at an MUSC clinic.

Shared Decision Making to Treat Or Prevent (STOP) HIV in Criminal Legal Involved Populations (R33)

This study seeks to compare the effectiveness of two Patient Navigation models of care to evaluate the proportion who initiate PrEP/ART and substance use/substance use disorder (SU/SUD) treatment. A standardized Patient Navigation (PN) arm will be compared with a shared decision-making model in the form of Patient Choice (PC) through the offer of a menu of existing community-based health service delivery options. This design will offer providers, correctional and public health authorities, payers and policy makers' timely and relevant data to assess the effectiveness of Patient Navigation and Patient Choice models of care as potentially useful re-entry and relapse prevention treatment options.

The Human Stress Response in a Simulated ED Setting

Stress is important for health. As emergency departments (EDs) are often stressful places, a better understanding of the human stress response is important for understanding how and why patients respond as they do when they come to the ED. Since the investigators cannot take up space in the ED for research, the investigators will instead recruit 20 methamphetamine-using participants who are not currently in treatment and 10 healthy adult matched participants to a simulated ED room in the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Simulation Center. The investigators will have participants perform a stressor task involving public speaking and a simple arithmetic task. The investigators will see if this experiment can be made to be like being in an actual ED by varying what participants speak about in the task. By doing this, the investigators hope to find out several important things: 1) Is a stressor task feasible and acceptable to participants? 2) What does the stress response -- as measured by cortisol and alpha-amylase -- look like in these participants? 3) Does varying what participants talk about make the experiment seem more like an actual ED? 4) Do participants under stress show even mild symptoms of agitation as measured by clinical scales? If so, how often?

Developing a Telehealth Model to Improve Treatment Access for Rural Veterans With Substance Use Disorders

This project will pilot-test and obtain stakeholder input on a telehealth-delivered substance use disorder (SUD) care model (with initial engagement and ongoing MI-CBT treatment) with the goal of increasing treatment utilization and improving outcomes for rural and non-rural Veterans with substance use disorders (SUDs).

Prevent Language Delays and Disorders Among Children of Caregivers With Substance Use Disorders With Community Groups and Individualized Services

The goal of this clinical trial is to test ways to improve early language development among young children of parents with substance use disorder (SUD). Children of parents with SUD are at increased risk for language delays, and early supports may help prevent long-term learning challenges. This study will examine whether adding additional supports to group-based parenting intervention improves child language outcomes compared to the group intervention alone.

Medically Supervised Ibogaine With 12-Month Digital Recovery Support for Opioid Use Disorder

IBO-CARE is a single-site Phase 1/2a study evaluating the safety, tolerability, feasibility and preliminary outcomes of medically supervised ibogaine with 12 months of recovery support in adults with moderate-to-severe opioid use disorder. Up to 120 candidates will be screened to enrol 60 adults aged 18-65 into three cohorts of 20. Participants meeting the shared opioid-free and negative naloxone-challenge criteria will be randomised 1:1 to Cohort A or Cohort C. Cohort A receives extended-release naltrexone 380 mg intramuscularly and matching oral placebo. Cohort C receives oral ibogaine hydrochloride and matching intramuscular placebo. Cohort B follows a separate, nonrandomised recent-use ibogaine pathway with matching intramuscular placebo and clinically supervised stabilisation. All cohorts attend three monitored oral-treatment admissions at Months 0, 1 and 2. Repeat ibogaine administrations require individual eligibility and safety release. The planned injection schedule comprises twelve calendar-monthly administrations at Months 0-11, with final follow-up at Month 12. All participants receive equivalent preparation, psychological support, continuing addiction care, monthly clinical review and SENTINEL digital recovery support with a Garmin Venu 4. The acute monitoring model includes continuous telemetry during a 72-hour post-dose window, serial 12-lead ECGs, laboratory monitoring, emergency capability and independent safety oversight. Monitoring is extended when clinically required. Wearable information does not replace clinical cardiac monitoring. SENTINEL combines participant reports, wearable trends and scheduled assessments, with high-risk findings reviewed by qualified clinicians. Cohorts A and C use a double-blind, double-dummy comparison. Cohort B is open to the treating team, with masked outcome assessment where feasible. Treatment guesses are collected because the acute effects of ibogaine may reveal allocation. The study estimates preliminary effects and is not designed to establish confirmatory efficacy. The IND application has not yet been filed. The study remains not yet recruiting. ClinicalTrials.gov registration and assignment of an NCT number do not authorise study conduct. Enrolment and investigational treatment will begin only after the IND is in effect, IRB approval is in place, and all applicable DEA, Colorado, investigational-product, clinical-site and digital-system requirements have been satisfied. The registration will be updated when the actual FDA filing details are available.

Supporting Treatment Access and Recovery Through Linkage and Support

This 3-year Hybrid Type 1 study will randomize 208 people with co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders (COD) referred from the Worcester Hub. This study seeks to evaluate the effectiveness of MISSION, a multi-component team approach, versus linkage with a Peer Specialist on improving outcomes among individuals with CODs. We expect that individuals receiving MISSION versus linkage only will show greater improvement in treatment engagement, substance use, and mental health outcomes. This study will also concurrently conduct a process evaluation to inform sustainability and future implementation of such interventions.

Characterization of Phenotypic and Genotypic Regressors for Imaging

The influence of genes on addictive and neuropsychiatric disorders is complex, especially given that multiple genes likely influence certain behaviors that are correlated with addiction. Researchers are interested in looking at the genetic information of individuals who are enrolled on National Institute for Drug Abuse studies to investigate specific genetic variants that may be related to substance abuse. Researchers will study the effects of genes on several aspects of thinking such as attention, memory, decision making, problem solving, learning, and emotional feelings, and investigate the ways in which genetic information affects addictive behaviors and substance abuse. In addition, researchers will study how genes may explain differences in imaging data in substance users. Objectives: \- To collect genetic information for research on genetic aspects of addiction and substance abuse. Eligibility: * Adults age 18 or older * (1) healthy, non-drug-using nonsmokers, * (2) healthy smokers, * (3) healthy individuals dependent on other commonly abused drugs, and * (4) individuals with other psychiatric disorders. * Participants must be enrolled in another National Institute on Drug Abuse, Intramural Research Program imaging protocol. Design: * This study involves one to two visits to National Institute on Drug Abuse, Intramural Research Program that may be separate from the participant's current research protocol study visits or on the same day as those visits. * Participants will provide a blood sample and complete questionnaires about mood, memory, and learning. * Participants may also be asked to do a few tasks, such as playing computer games involving coin tosses and money management, or responding to questions on a computer screen.

Harnessing Telemedicine to Improve Alcohol Use Disorder Outcomes in Primary Care Patients

The purpose of this trial is to test new programs to see if they might help people manage their health and health behaviors related to alcohol use and well-being. The program sessions focus on getting to know what's important to the participants, reviewing or setting goals, and using different skills and behaviors to better manage health. The trial will help the study team learn about ways to deliver health information in a way that is useful and interesting. This research will take place remotely (e.g., Zoom, Facetime, Phone) and participants will be randomized to the Telehealth (TeleTx) group intervention or the Enhanced Usual Care (EUC) control group. Both groups will be asked to have follow-up visits up to 12 months from the baseline visit.

DEVELOPMENT OF A NOVEL PEER RECOVERY SUPPORTER TRAINING PLATFORM

This study tests an online training platform for peer recovery support specialists, people in recovery who support others with alcohol and other substance use problems. It compares the platform with standard live training on core peer recovery skills, rated by trained raters from a recorded interview, and on knowledge, usability, and intention to use the platform. Training conditions were first recruited separately. Since an IRB-approved change in August 2026, new participants are randomly assigned to either hybrid platform training or standard live training. A self-paced platform group and a Maryland group that used a version of the platform localized for that state are reported as non-randomized comparison groups. The study is Phase II of an SBIR Fast-Track award from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

tAN for Substance Use Disorder

The study will involve a 5-day tAN treatment to attenuate alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS) and alter resting state functional connectivity (RSFC) between OFC and striatum in patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD). Enrolled participants will wear the tAN device on-site (at The Menninger Clinic) for the 5-day detox treatment period. Participants with AUD will be single-blinded randomized into 2 groups - a treatment group (active tAN) and a placebo group (sham tAN). Each group will consist of five separate time points - admission, screening, baseline, tAN treatment, and post tAN treatment. Clinical measures collected before, during, and after treatment will include alcohol withdrawal severity, craving, benzodiazepine usage, and assessments of depression and suicidal behaviors. Participants will undergo MRI scans before and after the treatment period to assess changes in brain connectivity and their relationship to clinical outcomes.

Evaluation of the Safety and Effects of Psychoactive Substances in People With Past Opioid Use

The purpose of this study is to understand how kratom affects people. In this study, kratom will be compared with another substance and a placebo (an inactive substance). Researchers will also study how the substances move through and affect the body. This includes examining how the body absorbs, processes, and eliminates the drug (pharmacokinetics), as well as how the drug affects the body and how it may make you feel (pharmacodynamics). The information collected will help researchers better understand the effects and potential risks of kratom.

rTMS for Craving in Methamphetamine Use Disorder

The primary aim of this project is to use a randomized single-blind sham-controlled study to investigate if high frequency repetitive transmagnetic stimulation (HF-rTMS) can modulate cue-induced craving in adult methamphetamine (METH) users. The investigators hypothesize that HF-rTMS directed at left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) will result in a reduction in craving for METH compared to sham-controlled rTMS in adults with methamphetamine use disorder (MUD) as evidenced by validated measures of METH craving. Neurobiologically, the investigators anticipate rTMS mediated stimulation of the DLPFC could result in inhibition of cue-induced craving through potential disruption of involved circuitry. The current project proposes that participants who are recently abstinent from METH will be randomized into four experimental groups to provide two rTMS conditions (real versus sham) and two picture cues conditions (METH versus neutral). The experiment will have an induction phase where each subject will receive 10 daily treatments within 2 weeks. Just before each rTMS/sham session participants will be shown visual cues (METH or neutral). Participants will then undergo a maintenance phase for an additional month with assessments to evaluate craving and relapse. Urine samples for urine drug screening (UDS) will be collected at screening day and on days 1, 5 and 10. Just before each rTMS/sham session participants will be shown visual cues (METH and neutral). VAS craving scores will be assessed before and after picture presentation and after the rTMS/sham session. Before the first and 10th treatment session, participants were evaluated by the the Stimulant Craving Questionnaire (STCQ) and the Severity of Dependence Scale (SDS) questionnaires. Participants will then undergo a maintenance phase for an additional month. During the first week of maintenance, three rTMS/sham sessions will be administered. During each of the following 3 weeks, one rTMS/sham session will be given per week. As with the induction phase, urine samples will be collected for screening and STCQ and the SDS questionnaires will be completed at each maintenance session. To evaluate the long-term effects of the rTMS treatment, the investigators plan on contacting participants 6 months after treatment termination for all subjects who completed the 10 treatment sessions. During that phone conversation, craving and relapse will again be assessed.

Supporting Treatment Access and Recovery in Re-entry (STAR-R)

This application is aimed at testing a multicomponent intervention called "Maintaining Independence and Sobriety through Systems Integration, Outreach, and Networking-Criminal Justice (MISSION-CJ) or Peer Linkage Support post-release from two jails in Massachusetts for individuals with co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders (COD), given high rates of COD among incarcerated populations. The research will examine engagement in treatment, behavioral health outcomes, mediators and moderators, an economic analysis, and facilitators and barriers of MISSION-CJ implementation.

Safe & Sound Protocol in Adults With Trauma and SUD

This study will explore whether the use of the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) app is an effective adjunct to treatment as usual (TAU) in individuals with co-occurring substance use disorders and trauma. This study will recruit 129 participants (100 completers) randomized to receive either active or sham SSP in addition to TAU. Participants will utilize the SSP for a minimum of three hours to a maximum of five hours for a total of seven days. Data will be collected at both pre- and post-test. Data to be collected will include measures on affect, anxiety, personality, mindfulness, and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms. The SSP has shown effectiveness in reducing symptoms of anxiety, depression, and trauma symptoms in pilot studies conducted at other locations. This will be the first study to examine the effectiveness of SSP with individuals with co-occurring SUD and trauma.

Physical Activity as Adjunct Treatment for Opioid Substitution Therapy

In terms of research, it is documented that exercise has a positive effect on mental disorders. Studies have shown positive correlations between physical and mental health, also among substance users. Such a study has never been performed on patients in opioid substitution therapy (OST). Documentation on the physical health of patients and the effect of exercise is very limited. Treatment of substance users is a research area with insufficient knowledge about certain treatment effects. It is important that a treatment can both support and promote the user's own resources and efforts to change their habits of substance use. The objective of this project is to examine the effect of exercise for OST patients, measured in relation to cognitive function and physical form. The target group consists of OST patients from 18 years of age and up, of both sexes, and on stable medication. At least 60 participants should complete the project, which is designed as a controlled randomized study (RCT). Participants in the intervention group start to exercise immediately after baseline testing. Participants in the control group are on a waiting list and will start to exercise after twelve weeks. Both groups undergo testing at baseline, after three, six and 12 months. Testing consists of two parts: A battery of cognitive and psychosocial assessments and an assessment of physical variables. The research questions of this project are important in a public health perspective. Generated knowledge can be quickly applied to local treatment institutions in Norway.

Recovery Inspired Support Engagement (RISE) Pilot

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if a 1-on-1 support program is easy to complete and acceptable for people supporting loved ones who have recently received treatment for substance use. The main questions it aims to answer are: How many people complete the program? How satisfied are people with the program? Participants will: Complete weekly telehealth sessions for 12 weeks Complete surveys/interviews at the beginning, in the middle (\~week 6), at the end of the program (\~week 12), and 12-weeks after the end of the program Complete a focus group or interview