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BeatSUD Foundation Launches Pilot Study of Music for People with Opioid Use Disorder

BeatSUD Foundation, a nonprofit that studies added recovery support for people with substance use disorders (SUD), today announced a small pilot-test of its mobile study app. The pilot-test will include 24 people with opioid use disorder. It is an important step before the Foundation’s larger study. TONES is what researchers call a decentralized, pragmatic, randomized clinical trial. In plain language, this means people can use the app as part of everyday life from home instead of traveling to a controlled setting, such as study clinic site. Each person in the study is randomly assigned by chance into one of two music groups so the results can be compared fairly. Neither the participants nor the study team will know which type of music each person receives while the study is underway.

In the small test, participants will choose a genre of music and report whether they feel sad or anxious. The app will match music to those choices. The test music uses calming tones, a steady beat, and slightly different sounds in each ear. The comparison group will hear similar music without these features. Before and after listening, participants will answer questions about their substance use, mood, opioid cravings, and motivation for recovery. They will also be asked what it was like to use the app. The results will show whether the app works as planned and whether the music or app needs to be improved before TONES begins. The app is designed to protect private health information. The study also checks each participant for signs of suicide risk. Anyone who may be at risk will quickly receive resource information and be connected with the study doctor. An independent ethics committee reviewed the plans for both studies.

“This small test is about listening to the results and to the people using the app and hearing the music,” said Cindy Girman, DrPH, FISPE, who founded BeatSUD Foundation with her husband, Tom. “A study with 24 people cannot give us final answers. But it can show if we’re on the right track. It can also tell us if the app or music needs to be improved or made more personal before the larger study begins. Participant interviews will help us make those changes.”

If the early results show that the music needs to change, BeatSUD Foundation will look for ways to make the music resonate more with individuals. Dr. AZA Allsop, a neuroscientist, musician, psychiatrist at Yale University, and co-leader of the study, said, “The right kind of music can affect the brain’s reward system. It may help lower cravings, improve mood, and increase the desire to stay in recovery. TONES will study these possible effects in a larger group with opioid use.”

After the small pilot-test, BeatSUD Foundation plans to launch TONES in 180 people who have opioid use disorder. People take part from home using an iPhone or Android phone. The app checks whether someone can join, shares study information and consent forms, places each person by chance into a music group, schedules music sessions, and collects questionnaires. BeatSUD Foundation developed the app and its online system with app developer, Bridgera, LLC. The patented technology for the platform allows the app to be quickly adapted for different studies instead of being rebuilt from the ground up each time. This allows BeatSUD to change direction when needed and launch new trials faster than ever before. TONES will provide an early test of whether personalized music with specific features may help support recovery when used along with usual care. If the results are promising, BeatSUD plans to launch more than 25 studies over the next five years. These studies may test music, meditation, rhythm and gentle brain stimulation for problems involving opioids, cocaine, other stimulants, alcohol, cannabis, and kratom. Some studies may include people dealing with ADHD, autism, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, or anxiety. No one has studied these approaches at the scale BeatSUD is planning, across so many conditions and in so many trials through one program.

The music is meant to be used along with standard care for opioid use disorder, not in place of it. Cindy and Tom Girman founded BeatSUD in memory of their son, Alexander Girman, who died from kratom toxicity in 2021. The Foundation is supported entirely by donations. To learn about future studies, the Foundation, or ways to donate, visit www.beatsud.org.

About BeatSUD Foundation Founded in 2024, BeatSUD Foundation is a nonprofit that studies added, non-drug supports for people with substance use disorders. BeatSUD believes that new approaches backed by sound evidence can give people more ways to support recovery and improve their lives. The Foundation is supported entirely by donations. Learn more or donate at www.beatsud.org.

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