Actively Recruiting
Outcome Inference in the Sensory Preconditioning Task in Opioid-Use Disorder
Led by National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) · Updated on 2026-05-07
150
Participants Needed
1
Research Sites
381 weeks
Total Duration
On this page
AI-Summary
What this Trial Is About
Background: People with addictions often find it hard to choose the long-term benefits of abstinence over the short-term effects of using drugs. Researchers think this is partly due to parts of the brain involved in certain types of learning and decision-making. Researchers want to test these basic functions using a simple task with pictures and odors. Objective: To see if performance in a learning task differs between people who have opioid-use disorder and people who don t. Eligibility: Adults 21-60 years old who are willing to fast for at least 6 hours and smell food odors. Those with an opioid-use disorder must either not use for at least 3 weeks or be in treatment. Design: Participants will have 1 visit that will take up to 5 hours. Before the visit, participants will be asked to not eat or drink anything except water for at least 6 hours. At the visit, participants will be checked for signs of intoxication. Participants will give urine and breath samples. Participants will have tests of learning and behavior. They will look at shapes on a computer screen. The shapes will be paired with different food odors. The odors will come from a sterile tube placed under the nose. Participants will have their breathing monitored with a belt around the upper abdomen. About 30 days and 60 days later, participants will be called and asked about their drug use over the past 30 days. ...
CONDITIONS
Official Title
Outcome Inference in the Sensory Preconditioning Task in Opioid-Use Disorder
Who Can Participate
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if you...
- Age between 21 and 65 years inclusive
- Willing to fast for at least 6 hours prior to the study session and be exposed to food odors
- For abstinent OUD group: history of opioid-use disorder (DSM-5), abstinent for more than 3 weeks from all illicit substances (tobacco and nondependent drinking allowed)
- For in-treatment OUD group: current enrollment in treatment for OUD with buprenorphine or methadone for over 3 weeks on a stable dose
- For control group: no history of substance-use disorder except nicotine and no current nonmedical drug use
You will not qualify if you...
- Poor olfactory function (anosmia, dysosmia, or hyposmia) based on Sniffin Sticks tests
- History of neurological conditions impairing ability to perform study task (e.g., Parkinson disease, Alzheimer's, multiple sclerosis, traumatic brain injury with loss of consciousness over 30 minutes)
- Current uncontrolled major psychiatric disorder within past 12 months (e.g., major affective disorder, OCD, schizophrenia, PTSD)
- History of anaphylaxis or severe allergy to odors or related substances
- Use of medications or substances that affect alertness and cannot be withheld on the study day
- Blood alcohol content above 0.08 at visit
- Pregnancy for women
- Any medical illness or condition judged incompatible with study participation
- For control group: positive urine test for illicit drugs or opioid withdrawal signs
- For abstinent group: positive urine test for illicit drugs or current signs of opioid withdrawal
- For in-treatment OUD group: negative urine test for prescribed opioid agonist used in treatment
AI-Screening
AI-Powered Screening
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Trial Site Locations
Total: 1 location
1
National Institute on Drug Abuse
Baltimore, Maryland, United States, 21224
Actively Recruiting
Research Team
N
NIDA IRP Screening Team
CONTACT
T
Thorsten Kahnt, Ph.D.
CONTACT
How is the study designed?
Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Masking
N/A
Allocation
N/A
Model
N/A
Primary Purpose
N/A
Number of Arms
3
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