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CARS: Cannabis and Alcohol Reduction Study

Brief Computerized Intervention for Reducing Adolescent Cannabis and Alcohol Use

Status
Recruiting
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT05486234
Acronym
CARS
Enrollment
52
Registered
2022-08-03
Start date
2023-01-25
Completion date
2026-10-01
Last updated
2026-08-13

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Alcohol Use, Unspecified, Cannabis Use, Substance Use, Substance Use Disorders

Brief summary

The study will test a computerized treatment with subjects ages 13-17 years who are seeking treatment for alcohol and/or cannabis use. Follow-up assessments will be conducted at one- and three-months following treatment.

Interventions

BEHAVIORALmodified Approach-Avoidance Task (mAAT), which aims to modify automatic approach bias

Participants will undergo a baseline assessment before completing computerized tasks. During the baseline assessment, participants will be asked questions about alcohol and cannabis use. We will also ask questions about the way participants think about things, past life experiences related to substance use, and questions about how participants feel about reducing their substance use. Then, participants will complete a series computerized tasks where they will push and pull a joystick in response to images that are presented on a screen or where they will try to get a high score. During the computerized tasks, we will also be measuring brain activity using EEG. During the study, participants will also be asked to respond to questions about their health and behavior using an app on a smartphone or tablet using a secure program. Participants in the Treatment Group will then complete four sessions of the modified Approach-Avoidance Task (mAAT), which aims to modify automatic approach bias.

BEHAVIORALmodified Approach-Avoidance Task (mAAT) that does not aim to modify automatic approach bias.

Participants will undergo a baseline assessment before completing computerized tasks. During the baseline assessment, participants will be asked questions about alcohol and cannabis use. We will also ask questions about the way participants think about things, past life experiences related to substance use, and questions about how participants feel about reducing their substance use. Then, participants will complete a series computerized tasks where they will push and pull a joystick in response to images that are presented on a screen or where they will try to get a high score. During the computerized tasks, we will also be measuring brain activity using EEG. During the study, participants will also be asked to respond to questions about their health and behavior using an app on a smartphone or tablet using a secure program. Participants in the Control Group will then complete four sessions of an Approach-Avoidance Task (mAAT) that does not aim to modify automatic approach bias.

Sponsors

Medical University of South Carolina
Lead SponsorOTHER
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
CollaboratorNIH

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
DOUBLE (Subject, Caregiver)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
13 Years to 17 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* between the ages of 13 and 17 * be seeking treatment for either cannabis or alcohol use; * report co-occurring alcohol and cannabis use during the past three months (i.e., participants who report using both alcohol and cannabis during the three months prior to participation in the study, regardless of if the use was simultaneous) * have a caregiver willing to participate and provide consent.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Change in cannabis use as assessed by Timeline FollowbackBaseline and Three-Month Follow-upThe TLFB is a calendar-assisted semi-structured interview that will be used to assess cannabis and alcohol use since the last assessment. The TLFB will assess the number of days a person used cannabis over the past 90 days compared to the 90 days prior to enrolling in this study.
Change in alcohol use as assessed by Timeline FollowbackBaseline and Three-Month Follow-upThe TLFB is a calendar-assisted semi-structured interview that will be used to assess cannabis and alcohol use since the last assessment. The TLFB will assess the number of days a person consumed alcohol over the past 90 days compared to the 90 days prior to enrolling in this study.
Change in Cannabis Approach Bias (D-Score)Baseline, One-Week Follow-up, and Three-Month Follow-upD scores will be calculated for each participant at baseline, posttest, and three-month follow-up. Participants' mean reaction times (RTs) during the approach cannabis trials will be subtracted from the mean avoid cannabis trial RTs. These scores are then divided by the SD across all cannabis trials. Positive scores indicate an approach bias for cannabis stimuli.
Change Cannabis Approach Bias (D-Score)Baseline, One-Week Follow-up, and Three-Month Follow-upD scores will be calculated for each participant at baseline, posttest, and three-month follow-up. Participants' mean reaction times (RTs) during the approach alcohol trials will be subtracted from the mean avoid alcohol trial RTs. These scores are then divided by the SD across all alcohol trials. Positive scores indicate an approach bias for alcohol stimuli.

Countries

United States

Contacts

CONTACTAustin M Hahn, Ph.D.
hahna@musc.edu854-444-9456

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Aug 14, 2026