Recruiting

Beverage Cues

Sponsor:

University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

Code:

NCT07788716

Conditions

Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD)

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 21 - 70

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Interventions

Alcohol Cue Reactivity Paradigm

Study Details

Brief summary:

The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate changes in craving and sensory responses to different beverage cues in adults (aged 21-70) with current mild or greater alcohol use disorder (AUD). The main questions it aims to answer are:

  • Does exposure to different beverage cues elicit distinct changes in subjective craving?
  • How do beverage liking, peak craving, and the return of craving to baseline compare across different test-beverage conditions?

Researchers will compare Session A (Test Beverage Condition A) to Session B (Test Beverage Condition B) in a randomized crossover design to see if sensory and expectancy effects influence craving responses without consumption.

Participants will:

  • Complete two separate 3-minute cue reactivity trials per session (a baseline water cue, followed by a test-beverage cue) while listening to guided audio instructions and holding/smelling the beverage without drinking it.
  • Rate their craving and beverage liking using visual analog scales (VAS) immediately after each trial.
  • Provide breathalyzer readings (BrAC), vital signs, and safety/medication checks at both study visits.
  • Complete diagnostic and drinking history assessments (such as the SCID-5, TLFB, and ACQ-SF-R).

Conditions

Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD)

Study ID

NCT07788716

Start date

Oct, 2026

Status verified date

Aug, 2026

Completion date

Dec, 2027

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Oct, 2027

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 21 - 70

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age 21-70 years.
  • Current AUD (mild or greater severity on the SCID-5).
  • Regular drinkers (at least one drink in past week as identified in TLFB) able to identify a preferred alcoholic beverage (e.g., beer, wine, spirits, or mixed) for which a visually matched non-alcoholic alternative exists and can be sourced .
  • Willing to abstain from alcohol for ≥12 hours prior to each session and arrive with BrAC = 0.000% at visit 1 and ≤ 0.020% at visit 2. BrAC will be collected immediately after the participant signs the consent form at visit 1.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • CIWA-Ar ≥10 which suggests clinically meaningful withdrawal.
  • Pregnancy, nursing, or planning pregnancy.
  • Medical contraindications to any alcohol exposure (e.g., liver disease, unstable cardiovascular condition).
  • Current use of medications that strongly affect craving or alcohol consumption (e.g., naltrexone, acamprosate, disulfiram).
  • Severe psychiatric illness or symptoms (e.g., bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, active suicidal ideation) that would interfere with procedures.

Study Design

Enrollment

20 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Randomized

Intervention Model

Crossover

Primary purpose

Other

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: Beverage A

Exposure to a visually matched beverage to Beverage B

experimental: Beverage B

Exposure to a visually matched beverage to Beverage A

Interventions

Alcohol Cue Reactivity Paradigm

Standardized 3-minute visual, olfactory, and tactile exposure to beverage cues (water, and two similar appearing beverages) accompanied by guided audio instructions.

Primary outcome measure

  • Change in Subjective Alcohol Craving Score, Visual Analog Scale (VAS) [ Time Frame: Visit 1 (baseline) through Visit 2, an average of 1 week. ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Paola R Sparagana, BS

214-645-6950paola.sparagana@utsouthwestern.edu

Locations

Univeristy of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

Recruiting

Dallas, Texas, United States, 75390

Contacts

E. Sherwood Brown, MD, PhD

214-645-6950sherwood.brown@utsouthwestern.edu

More Information

Sponsor

University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

Last update posted

Aug 26, 2026

Last verified

Aug, 2026

Keywords

  • AUD
  • Alcohol Use Disorder
  • Cue Reactivity

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-09. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center on 2026-08-26.