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Zapping the brain to sharpen memory: new study tests electrical stimulation and cognitive rehab

NCT ID NCT03036319

Knowledge-focused Sponsor: University of Michigan 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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study from the University of Michigan is testing whether cognitive rehabilitation (brain training exercises) and transcranial electrical stimulation (mild electrical currents applied to the scalp) can improve thinking abilities like memory, attention, and problem-solving in adults aged 50 and older. The trial will enroll 500 participants with or without cognitive decline and compare active stimulation to sham (placebo) stimulation over up to 260 sessions. The goal is to find the best ways to use these methods, alone or together, to help people maintain or improve their cognitive function.

What this could mean

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

Active substance
transcranial electrical stimulation (tDCS/tACS) and cognitive rehabilitation
What this could lead to
If successful, this could point toward a non-drug approach to improve memory, attention, and problem-solving in older adults with cognitive decline.
What could go wrong
This is an early-stage, observational-style study testing multiple methods, not a treatment trial. Results may not lead to a proven therapy, and individual benefits may 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 500 people

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

Start date

Jun 2016

Expected to finish

Nov 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 years and older

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: 1. Individuals who have reported cognitive dysfunction and cognitively intact participants. 2. Participants will be age 50 or older Exclusion Criteria: 1. A history of epilepsy 2. Sensory or motor impairments that limit the ability to take part in the study 3. Current alcohol or drug abuse/dependence 4. Those who are currently pregnant or may become pregnant during the duration of the study (if there is a question of pregnancy, pregnancy tests will be available for participants at no charge) Those who are being evaluated for TES methodology will also be excluded for 1) metallic or electronic implant 2) skull plates or other cranial implants that affect TES

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Cognition Disorders cognitive disorder

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Cognitive deficit

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

  • University of Michigan - Department of Psychiatry

    RECRUITING

    Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109, United States

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