Can a gentle electric current calm the mind in Alzheimer's?

NCT ID NCT07827196

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

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

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

About 40 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Sep 2026

Expected to finish

Sep 2027

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

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

45 to 84 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

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

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

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  1. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

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  3. A doctor treating you

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Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui 230032

    RECRUITING

    Hefei, Anhui, 230032, China

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