Can a gentle electric current calm the mind in Alzheimer's?
NCT ID NCT07827196
First seen Sep 18, 2026 · Last updated Sep 18, 2026
Summary
Researchers are testing whether transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS), a non-invasive brain stimulation technique, can improve behavioral and psychological symptoms in people with early Alzheimer's disease. The trial enrolls 40 participants who receive either active tRNS or a sham treatment, with brain activity measured by EEG. The main goal is to see if tRNS changes scores on a standard Alzheimer's cognitive scale and a memory test.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- transcranial random noise stimulation, a non-invasive brain stimulation technique that applies a weak alternating current to the scalp
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a drug-free way to ease agitation, mood swings, and other behavioral symptoms that often accompany Alzheimer's disease.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage trial with 40 participants, so any benefit may not hold up in larger studies. Brain stimulation can cause scalp discomfort or headaches, and the sham-controlled design means some participants receive no active current.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 40 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Sep 2026
- Expected to finish
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Sep 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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45 to 84 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Subject diagnosed with early Alzheimer's disease or related diseases according to NINCDS-ACDRADA criteria. * Subjects must have a MMSE score between 10 and 27,indicating mild cognitive impairment or dementia * CDR score ≤ 2 * Subject under treatment by IAChE for at least 3 months. * psychotropic treatments are tolerated if they were administered and unchanged for at least 3 months Exclusion Criteria: * NPI ≥ 4 * CDR \> 2 * Any history or clinical signs of other severe psychiatric illnesses (like major depression,psychosis or obsessive compulsive disorder). * History of head injury,stroke,or other neurologic disease. * Organic brain defects on T1 or T2 images. * History of seizures or unexplained loss of consciousness. * Implanted pacemaker,medication pump,vagal stimulator,deep brain stimulator. * Family history of medication refractory epilepsy. * History of substance abuse within the last 6 months.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui 230032
RECRUITINGHefei, Anhui, 230032, China
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