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Brain zaps timed to your own waves may boost memory in Alzheimer's

NCT ID NCT05904132

Disease control Sponsor: Massachusetts General Hospital Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 Jul 14, 2026 · Last updated Jul 15, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study tests whether a non-invasive brain stimulation technique called closed-loop transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) can improve memory and brain activity in people with mild cognitive impairment likely due to Alzheimer's disease. Participants receive four different types of stimulation (including a sham placebo) across separate visits while their brain waves are monitored with EEG. The goal is to see if precisely timed electrical pulses can strengthen natural gamma rhythms and enhance cognitive performance.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
a closed-loop transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) device that delivers electrical pulses timed to the brain's natural rhythms
What this could lead to
If it works, this could point toward a non-invasive, personalized brain stimulation therapy to slow memory decline in early Alzheimer's disease.
What could go wrong
This is a small, early-phase study testing short-term effects only. The stimulation may not produce lasting cognitive benefits, and individual responses can vary.

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 70 people

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

Started

Jan 2025

Expected to finish

Jun 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

50 to 80 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Accepted

You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.

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: * Overall cognitive functional status consistent with amnesic MCI (CDR 0.5) likely due to AD (AD biomarker supported) * 50-80 years of age * English native speakers Exclusion Criteria: * Known presence of a structural brain lesion (e.g., tumor, cortical infarct) * Acute or decompensated active medical conditions, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, stroke, congestive heart failure * Active hematological, renal, pulmonary, endocrine or hepatic disorders * Longstanding premorbid history (i.e., longer than 10 years) of alcohol or substance abuse with continuous abuse up to and including the time that the symptoms leading to clinical presentation developed * tACS contraindications (lesions in the scalp, history of seizures)

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Alzheimer disease Cognitive Dysfunction

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Alzheimer disease Mild cognitive impairment

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

  1. The places running it

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

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. 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

  • Massachusetts General Hospital

    RECRUITING

    Charlestown, Massachusetts, 02129, United States

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